New Saks stylist program looks to increase customer engagement and provide service
New Saks stylist program looks to increase customer engagement and provide service
I watched with interest Saks latest tie-up with Wishi on its stylist program.
Ostensibly, something like this Saks couldn't invest in before because it had to choose its stores vs online? (asking for Marc Metrick Saks CEO)
Consumer take a quiz, etc. that is normal and there is nothing groundbreaking here.
The most interesting detail of the program my point of view is that these stylists (how many are there?) are not commission-based. They are just there for "great service." Customers are supposed to establish relationships with these stylists "day to day" and get tips for how to dress for work.
Color me skeptical on this point.
Have you ever seen busy parents dress for work in the morning? How much time do they have?
Remains to be seen if this will truly move the needle for Saks.
A few questions: - If Saks doesn't have the best price, wouldn't people just shop someplace else?
- How many individual relationships can a Saks stylist handle?
- Instead of being paid for sales or margin, they are paid per customer relationship. What counts as a relationship? How is the quality of that interaction being judged and by who?
Most great sales people aren't judged on interactions, they are judged on commissions. And great ones know that people keep coming back for great service, not because you spam your customers with recommendations every 5 minutes. Of course that's hard to enforce and without proper training that goes south fast.
I'm not sure this is super-differentiating in 2022, and was it really needed as the first thing they do with their new investor eCommerce money?
