I gave this presentation on "Luxury Innovations: Growing Your Business Online In a Recession" at Luxury Interactive Conference in London & New York in 2009. Many learnings still apply. Includes social, display, email, in-store tactics.

1. F U T U R E F O RWA R D:
BUilDing A lAsTing AnD inTimATE RElATiOnship
WiTh CUsTOmERs ACROss All ChAnnEls
cecilia pagkalinawan
vp e-commerce & direct marketing
frette, inc. and la perla, inc.

2. Frette – Founded in 1860 in Monza, Italy outside of Milan
La Perla – Founded in 1954, Bologna, Italy
How do we grow and adapt to the current global marketplace
without sacrificing the “love” of our customers?
How do we remain relevant in their lives in a booming
economy as well as in a downturn?

3. i. Spread the “Love” acroSS SaLeS channeLS
• Let customers know they matter, that they are
on your mind
• Customers, particularly women, enjoy receiving offers,
postcards and catalogues from their favorite brands
• Personalized clienteling
· Welcome e-mail or letter to new customers
· Send personalized emails offering extra sets
or matching products from same collection as
previous purchase

4. personalized email

5. i. Spread the “Love” acroSS SaLeS channeLS
• Stay in touch
Communicate to them in their preferred method
· Phone, mail, e-mail, SMS
• Remain accessible
· “Contact Us” and “Assistance” links on homepage
· 800 number on homepage
· Store locations, website URL,
AND phone number on print ads
and mailers
• E-mail marketing, a must
· #1 preferred method of contact
by affluent consumers

6. i. Spread the “Love” acroSS SaLeS channeLS
• Facebook survey of CEO’s, Top Executives and Entrepreneurs
· only women wanted to receive mail from their brands
· less than 10% would like to receive text messages from brands
· 20% would “friend” a brand on Facebook or MySpace but only
if relevant to “their personal brand” or owned by a friend

7. print mailer
HOPING YOU VISIT US
FOR VALENTINE’S DAY.
BEST WISHES,
LA PERLA
LA PERLA SLIP LA PERLA SILK ROBE LA PERLA SLIP
MINI-SLIP WITH LEAVERS LACE RIBBONS APPLIED ON SHORT SILK ROBE WITH SHAWL COLLAR AND SILK BELT
INVISIBLE TULLE $460 STYLE 0006663 SIZE XS - L $249 STYLE 0005203 SIZE XS - XL AVAILABLE IN
AVAILABLE IN BLACK (SHOWN), IVORY, TEAL AND FUCHSIA BLACK (SHOWN) AND IVORY
09
N 20
OLLECTIO
E’S C
VALENTIN

8. ii. Know Your cuStomerS intimateLY
• Conduct survey
• Have store managers provide more insights into customers
· What were they looking for?
· Did they find it?
· If they didn’t buy, what was the reason?
· Were they looking for something else you
do not offer?
· Can products be obtained from another
store or custom ordered for them
· What sizes/colors were they seeking that
are no longer in stock?

9. ii. Know Your cuStomerS intimateLY
• Host them at private events at stores or CEO’s home
• Google them

10. iii. court Your cuStomerS
• Foot traffic decreased during current downturn
• Google brand specific searches down
• Go where they are:
· Advertise on WSJ.com or Style.com
· Sponsor events
· La Perla Frick Gala After-Party
at St. Regis
· La Perla Valentine’s Party at
1Oak
• Develop co-marketing initiatives
with non-competing brands with
similar target customers

11. wsj ads

12. wsj ads

13. style.com ads

14. blog / web
postings

15. iii. court Your cuStomerS
• Remain attractive
· Frette re-designed Madison Avenue store
with top interior designer Randall Ridless
· La Perla site redesign for launch July 2009
• Open new markets
· Frette opened flagship at Mandarin
Oriental Boston
· New Edmond Frette concept store in
Westfield, London
· Selling online in US only, delivering and
selling online internationally by 2010
· La Perla sells online currently in US
and Europe

16. web re-design

17. youtube videos

18. vi. reap the rewardS = Lifetime vaLue
• Consumers are editing brands
· Deleting brands and stores where negative experiences exist
· Frequenting those brands which make them feel good and
provide superb customer service
• Multi-channel customers spend 3 times
more than single channel customers
• “It is 3 – 5 times” more expensive
to acquire a new customer than
retain a current customer.”
• “Best customers spend 300%
more than bottom quintile.”

19. iv. treaSure Your cuStomerS
• Avoid being a “one-night stand”
· How many times do customers come back in 1 year?
· How many customers have you lost and have not returned
in the past 3 years?
· How do you win them back?
• Provide best customer service
· Train associates
· Specific guidelines and scripts
· Become more accommodating
to customers

20. iv. treaSure Your cuStomerS
• Turn any negative experiences into a positive
· Respond to any e-mails of issues addressed to website
· Make exceptions when accepting returns
· Word of mouth, blogs, and viral marketing of negative
experiences is deadly
• Treat customers unconditionally

21. v. it’S aLL about convenience – be avaiLabLe 24/7
• Be there for them when they need you the most
• Exceed customer expectations
• Have customer purchasing history viewable by all stores
· Make educated and targeted recommendations
· Remember size, favorite colors