After two decades’ work experience in premium department stores around the world, I have noticed that concession brands in premium department stores are competing with each other, which is normal, common and understandable. Also, some cultures are more competitive than others, according to my international tourism observation and experience.
-
International tourism – The United States has a very competitive culture.
Example 1): A customer walks towards the XYZ fitting room with an ABC jumper. XYZ’s staff stand outside the XYZ fitting room.
STAFF: “Which brand is this?” (Actually, the staff just want to look at the size of the jumper – Size L.)
CUSTOMER: “ABC.”
STAFF: “Okay. This fitting room is available.”
CUSTOMER: “Thank you.”
2 minutes later.
STAFF: “How’s the jumper? Is the size okay?”
CUSTOMER: “It’s a bit too big.”
STAFF: “Oh. I’m going to find a smaller one for you. Does this have to be ABC?”
CUSTOMER: “No.”
STAFF: “Let me find the right one for you.”
The staff find an XYZ jumper (Size L) for the customer – XYZ Size L is smaller than other brands’ Size L.
The customer purchases the XYZ jumper at the XYZ register.
Example 2): A customer walks towards the XYZ fitting room with an ABC outfit when ABC only has one salesperson who is in the basement.
STAFF: “How many items?” (The staff actually look at the size and the style that the customer is interested in and would like to try on.)
CUSTOMER: “2.” (The customer is going to try on a suit jacket and a pair of suit pants.)
STAFF: “Okay. You can use this fitting room.”
3 minutes later.
STAFF: “How is the outfit? I have another outfit to show you if you don’t mind.” (The staff bring an XYZ outfit to the fitting room.)
CUSTOMER: “Oh. OK.” (The customer opens the fitting room door.)
STAFF: “This outfit is similar to the outfit that you’ve tried on. The main difference is this outfit is made of pure new wool rather than polyester. You can try on this and see what it looks like.”
CUSTOMER: “Ah. It’s very elegant.”
STAFF: “Yes. When you wear a more premium outfit for a business meeting, you are more likely to negotiate for a better deal because your perceived value will be higher in your client’s eyes.” (The staff member is actually saying, “If you wear an XYZ outfit which looks more expensive, your client will assume you deserve a higher fee because other people have already paid you a lot & you can afford such a high-end outfit. So, from now on, you can charge your clients a higher fee!”)
As the staff member is chatting with the customer like that, the customer has tried on an XYZ suit jacket, a pair of XYZ suit pants and two XYZ shirts. That XYZ big sale is closed because the staff understand the typical XYZ customer’s psychology (The staff know the typical customer’s hopes and dreams as well as their fears and frustrations). Meanwhile, the staff also know that ABC’s products are cheaper than XYZ’s products and ABC uses more polyester! However, throughout the conversation in the fitting room, the staff don’t mention “XYZ” or “ABC” at all. The staff don’t mention brand names in the fitting room when the staff want the customer to buy the staff’s products instead of their competitors’ products; the staff only talk about the specific benefits of XYZ products. The staff don’t say ABC products are worse; the staff only point out the difference between wool and polyester & why expensive clothes can make him more successful in business!
When there is no customer, you are supposed to proactively find customers in nearby areas, e.g., near the escalator, in the aisles, in fitting rooms, at other brands’ stores (when their staff members are on their lunch break/in the toilet/already said, “Sorry, we don’t have that” to their customer), etc. For example, if there is no customer at XYZ, you can approach the customer who is trying on things in front of the mirror at ABC when ABC staff members are not there. This has to be done tactfully – “Hi. Have you found what you are looking for?” If the customer says no, you will get the customer to try on something from XYZ. Throughout the conversation, do not mention “ABC” or “XYZ” (in this way, the customer wouldn’t know you only want to convert an ABC customer to XYZ); just make the customer feel that you are helping them to find what they need. (By the way, if the customer says they are happy with an ABC product and would like to buy it, you simply put through the sale at the register and reprint the receipt & give it to ABC staff when they come back – by doing that, ABC staff know you’ve helped them, so they will help you in the future as well.)
“Which culture is more competitive, American culture or European culture?”
