Luxury Institute News

June 10, 2013

Affluent Shoppers Make Mobile an Essential Stop in the Purchase Funnel

Posted in Customer Experience,E-Commerce,Luxury Market,Mobile,Mobile Commerce
Tags: discounting, Milton Pedraza, smartphone, tablet —

Discounts get affluent mobile shoppers to buy

eMarketer
June 10, 2013

The wealthy consumer is highly likely to own a smartphone or tablet, and the devices are becoming critical shopping tools for these high-income individuals. In April 2013, the Luxury Institute surveyed US internet users ages 21 and older with gross incomes above $150,000 and found that more than eight in 10 owned a smartphone, while 56% reported owning a tablet. These penetration rates are well above those for the overall US population on smartphones or tablets.

As affluent consumers become increasingly comfortable with their smart mobile devices, they are turning to them throughout the purchase process. The Luxury Institute found that the most common smartphone mcommerce activity was looking up store information. After this came product research and comparison shopping.

On tablets, consumers were most likely to look up product images and read user reviews and recommendations. This points to the increasing importance for luxury retailers to make sure they have an attractive, interactive tablet showcase for their products, as tablets serve as “lean-back” devices, which consumers often use to get to know potential purchases.

When it came to making actual purchases, the store still won out as the most common place to make a purchase among affluent consumers, cited by 78% of respondents. Purchasing via the desktop web was right behind, however, cited by 77%. Women were 6 percentage points more likely than men to make a purchase through this means, while men showed a greater proclivity to buy on mobile.

Mobile websites on tablets were the place where the greatest percentage of shoppers made mobile purchases, at one out of five affluent consumers. Another 11% used a tablet app to make a purchase. Fourteen percent of affluent consumers used the mobile web on a nontablet device to buy and 12% used a mobile app.

And even if affluent shoppers have plenty of cash at their disposal, that doesn’t mean a deal won’t help them convert. On tablets, special deals or price discounts were the No. 1 reason respondents would purchase via these devices, with 43% indicating that would sway them. On smartphones, special deals tied with ease of use, at 45%, as top reasons to complete a purchase on the device.

http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Affluent-Shoppers-Make-Mobile-Essential-Stop-Purchase-Funnel/1009954

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May 16, 2013

Wealthy Shoppers Focus On Quality And Price As Brands Blur Lines Between Luxury And Mainstream

Posted in CRM,Customer Experience,Fashion,Luxury Brands,Luxury Market,Press Releases,Retail,WealthSurvey
Tags: Crossover, Luxury Brands, Mass Market, Milton Pedraza, Wealthy Consumer —

(NEW YORK) May 16, 2013 – What specific factors differentiate luxury brands from mainstream brands? What would happen if one type of brand expands into the other’s market? These are among the questions answered by wealthy shoppers with minimum household incomes of $150,000 surveyed by the Luxury Institute.

For 60% of wealthy consumers, particularly those with higher levels of wealth, quality is the overriding differentiator between luxury and mainstream goods and services. Price (55%) is cited as the second biggest point of differentiation. Craftsmanship (48%), prestige (47%) and design (38%) are also critical. Older wealthy shoppers are notably more selective (51% vs. 43%) on craftsmanship than their younger peers.

Launching an extension into mainstream retail does not appear to be the kiss of death for luxury brands because there is little brand prejudice on the part of wealthy shoppers. If a luxury name branches out into mass-market, 84% of wealthy women and 78% of men would continue shopping with that company. In the case of a mainstream brand migrating up-market, 88% of wealthy women and 79% of men would remain customers.

Of the challenges facing the mainstream offshoot of a luxury brand, 24% of wealthy shoppers say the biggest risk is damage to the luxury brand’s image or reputation; 17% cited perceptions of inferior quality at the lower-priced stores.

“Luxury brands can leverage their edge in quality and craftsmanship with current offerings by communicating these attributes clearly with consumers,” says Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. “This enhances perceived value and alleviates price sensitivity.”

About Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)
The Luxury Institute is the objective and independent global voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute conducts extensive and actionable research with wealthy consumers about their behaviors and attitudes on customer experience best practices. In addition, we work closely with top-tier luxury brands to successfully transform their organizational cultures into more profitable customer-centric enterprises. Our Luxury CRM Culture consulting process leverages our fact-based research and enables luxury brands to dramatically Outbehave as well as Outperform their competition. The Luxury Institute also operates LuxuryBoard.com, a membership-based online research portal, and the Luxury CRM Association, a membership organization dedicated to building customer-centric luxury enterprises.

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May 9, 2013

High-Income Shoppers Embrace Online Commerce, but Stores Also Benefit From Web Browsing

Posted in Customer Experience,E-Commerce,Internet/Web,Mobile Commerce,Press Releases,WealthSurvey,Wealthy Consumer
Tags: In-Store Experience, Milton Pedraza, Multi-Channel, smartphone, tablet —

NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwired – May 9, 2013) – The Luxury Institute surveyed wealthy consumers earning at least $150,000 a year about their usage of the Internet and mobile devices, and how these technologies affect their interaction with brands across platforms.

High-earners are about as likely to have bought something at a store (78%) in the past 12 months or ordered it online via computer (77%). Despite the growing popularity of mobile and tablet shopping, research done on a traditional computer still feeds foot traffic into brick-and-mortar stores, and led to in-store purchases among 45% of the consumers surveyed. Only 25% of wealthy shoppers buy online after checking out merchandise and gaining insights at a store.

Using a tablet’s Web browser has officially entered the mainstream as another shopping channel. In the past year, 20% of wealthy consumers reported using these devices to make a purchase. Web-enabled tablet usage is more popular for transactions than catalog purchases (17%), telephone orders (15%), or buying via smart phone Web access (14%). Retailers still send out catalogs because they’re effective drivers of sales in other channels: 20% were motivated by a catalog to make an in-store purchase; 16% of respondents say they bought something online in the past 12 months after seeing it in a catalog. Downloaded apps for phones (12%) and tablets (11%) are also gaining in popularity as distinct retail channels where wealthy consumers shop.

“Successful brands turn shopping and browsing into a seamless experience across traditional websites, apps for smart phones and tablets, and within brick-and-mortar stores,” says Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. “Wealthy consumers are eager users of the latest technologies and brands need to be, too.”

About Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)
The Luxury Institute is the objective and independent global voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute conducts extensive and actionable research with wealthy consumers about their behaviors and attitudes on customer experience best practices. In addition, we work closely with top-tier luxury brands to successfully transform their organizational cultures into more profitable customer-centric enterprises. Our Luxury CRM Culture consulting process leverages our fact-based research and enables luxury brands to dramatically Outbehave as well as Outperform their competition. The Luxury Institute also operates LuxuryBoard.com, a membership-based online research portal, and the Luxury CRM Association, a membership organization dedicated to building customer-centric luxury enterprises.

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May 8, 2013

Neiman Marcus sale could build more customer-focused brand

Posted in Customer Culture,Customer Experience,Fashion,Finance,Luxury Brands,Retail
Tags: Amazon, Customer Experience, Michael Kors, Milton Pedraza, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Private Equity, Randall Ray, Zappos —

By Danielle Abril
Dallas Business Journal
May 7, 2013

While private equity investors of Neiman Marcus Group Inc. consider their exit strategy, a luxury retail expert predicts a move that could result in an increased emphasis on customer relations.

Milton Pedraza, CEO of The Luxury Institute LLC, said he belives that the next logical step for Dallas-based Neiman Marcus is to go public. The move would allow Neiman Marcus the freedom to focus on building relationships with its consumers.

“Neiman will have a very solid structure if they go public,” Pedraza said. “It will be customer-centric rather than shareholder-centric.”

Bloomberg reported earlier this week that TPG Capital and Warburg Pincus LLC, Neiman Marcus’ private equity investors, were considering selling the company or taking it public. The firms held their investment for eight years, 60 percent longer than the norm, according to Bloomberg.

Neiman Marcus declined to comment.

Neiman Marcus could take four different directions, according to Randall Ray, partner with Munck Wilson Mandala LLP. Ray has spent almost 25 years dealing with corporate legal matters and said one thing is clear in this situation: TPG and Warburg will choose the path that ends with the highest profit for them in the least amount of time.

The four options, according to Ray, are: filing an initial public offering, selling to a private equity firm, selling to a strategic buyer and choosing a dividend recapitalization.

Pedraza said it was “less likely” that the firms would sell to another private equity firm.

“It would take a very special private equity firm to do the things Neiman Marcus needs,” he said. “You need patient money to rebuild the brand.”

Pedraza cites online retailers Amazon and Zappos as companies that have benefited from answering solely to the consumer. He also said that other retailers, such as Nordstrom and Michael Kors, have been successful in their transformations to becoming publicly owned.

Pedraza also said the recovering economic climate offers an opportunity for TPG and Warburg Pincus to sell to the general public.

“It’s a good time to go public,” he said, adding that a booming economy would offer the best conditions for the move. Whatever road Neiman Marcus chooses, there will be few clues as to its direction until the transaction is complete.

“Unless Neiman Marcus feels compelled to make this information public, there won’t be a lot of transparency in the process,” Pedraza said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2013/05/07/sale-of-neiman-marcus-could-impact.html

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February 19, 2013

Wealthy Flock To Target But Love The Lord & Taylor Experience, Prefer Apple For Electronics, Staples For Supplies

Posted in Customer Experience,LCEI,Luxury Brands,Wealthy Consumer
Tags: Apple, Best Buy, Customer Culture Institute, Customer Experience, Lord & Taylor, Milton Pedraza, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Target, Von Maur —

(NEW YORK) February 19, 2013 – U.S. shoppers earning at least $150,000 a year rank 16 mainstream retailers in the 2013 Luxury Consumer Experience (LCEI) survey jointly conducted by the independent and objective New York-based Luxury Institute and Customer Culture Institute. Respondents evaluated national and regional department store brands, as well retailers of office supplies and electronics.

Among national retailers, Lord & Taylor earns the highest (8.00) LCEI score, and ranks first on all seven subcomponents, which include shoppers’ evaluations of staff, stores and degree of overall satisfaction. Lord & Taylor was visited by just 14% of surveyed shoppers in the past year but those who did rave about their experiences. Target, the most popular chain, saw visits from 66% of wealthy shoppers but earns a 6.90 LCEI score.

In electronics, Apple’s LCEI score of 8.40 tops Best Buy’s 6.97. Apple also enjoys nearly unanimous (98%) agreement from shoppers that they will come back to Apple retail locations in the future, compared to 92% for Best Buy.

Staples (7.31) is the clear winner in office supplies, ranked ahead of Office Depot (7.05) and OfficeMax (7.00).

Iowa-based Von Maur receives the highest LCEI score (8.61) among regional retailers and the highest of all 16 brands covered. Furthermore, 100% of Von Maur’s wealthy customers plan to shop there again.

“Wealthy consumers don’t confine their shopping to luxury retailers. In fact, they spend much more with mainstream brands,” says Luxury Institute and Customer Culture Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. “As in luxury, brands that differentiate themselves with a customer centric culture are the ones that rank highest.”

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February 5, 2013

Wealthy Customers Sing Praises of Shopping Experiences at Bergdorf, Nordstrom and Barneys

Posted in Customer Experience,LCEI,Luxury Brands,Press Releases,Retail,Wealthy Consumer
Tags: Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Customer Experience, Luxury Market, Milton Pedraza, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom —

(NEW YORK) February 05, 2013 – U.S. shoppers earning at least $150,000 a year share detailed opinions and evaluations of seven leading luxury retailers in the 2013 Luxury Consumer Experience Index (LCEI) conducted by the independent and objective New York-based Luxury Institute. Based on an average of seven customer experience components rated on a 1-10 scale, Bergdorf Goodman (8.58) ranks first, but wealthy consumers are far more likely to shop at second-place Nordstrom (8.36).

Visited by 34% of wealthy shoppers in the past 12 months, Nordstrom is the most popular luxury retail chain, and it is also most likely (92%) to be recommended favorably to family and friends. The affluent shoppers who have visited Bergdorf Goodman’s two stores in the past 12 months rave about it, ranking it first on six of seven experience criteria, including having polite, trustworthy, knowledgeable and enthusiastic employees, as well as stores that are appealing and well maintained. Bergdorf’s parent, Neiman Marcus, ranks first for being the retailer that high-income shoppers say, “completely satisfies my needs.”

Despite the high praise for its people and its stores, wealthy shoppers perceive Bergdorf’s merchandise as a bit too pricey, ranking it last (63%) on the question of whether its products are worth premium prices. Barneys New York ranks first (85%) for deserving premium pricing.

“Bergdorf Goodman retains the cachet of a classic boutique that delivers outstanding experiences,” says Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. “On a larger scale, Nordstrom deserves credit for replicating great experiences with a customer centric culture across its entire network of stores.”

Wealthy shoppers also evaluated Saks Fifth Avenue, Burberry, Bloomingdale’s and Brooks Brothers.

About Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)

The Luxury Institute is the objective and independent global voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute conducts extensive and actionable research with wealthy consumers about their behaviors and attitudes on customer experience best practices. In addition, we work closely with top-tier luxury brands to successfully transform their organizational cultures into more profitable customer-centric enterprises. Our Luxury CRM Culture consulting process leverages our fact-based research and enables luxury brands to dramatically Outbehave as well as Outperform their competition. The Luxury Institute also operates LuxuryBoard.com, a membership-based online research portal, and the Luxury CRM Association, a membership organization dedicated to building customer-centric luxury enterprises.

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December 10, 2012

Superior Craftsmanship, Materials and Customer Service Define Luxury Market and Drive Premium Pricing According To New Survey

Posted in Automobiles,Customer Experience,Customer Service/CRM,Luxury Brands,Luxury Leaders,Press Releases,Wealthy Consumer
Tags: Jim Farley, Lincoln, Milton Pedraza —

(NEW YORK) December 10, 2012 – In a new survey by independent New York-based Luxury Institute, superior craftsmanship, materials and customer service scored highest in terms of helping to define the luxury market while driving premium pricing. Additionally, survey respondents overwhelmingly favored a long-lasting, high quality product over one that merely enhanced status.

The survey, in cooperation with the newly relaunched Lincoln Motor Company, asked wealthy luxury automobile consumers to share their opinions that may have altered since the recession about buying considerations and luxury spending across a variety of product categories.

“High standards for the tangible quality of goods are to be expected from such refined buyers,” said Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. “Of particular interest is the growing leadership of U.S. firms as global luxury brand icons. Jewelry from Tiffany & Co., consumer electronics from Apple and handbags from Coach are among the world’s most prominent brands, giving consumers worldwide more reasons to pursue luxury in the States.”

Defining and Driving the Luxury Market

When it comes to what drives luxury and justifies premium pricing, 86% of affluent Americans surveyed say that superior craftsmanship is the deciding quality. Nearly as many (84%) say they also expect the use of superior materials in luxury products. The third most important consideration, cited by 76% of wealthy respondents, is a “superior customer experience both during and after the sale.”

A majority of wealthy consumers report enjoying their luxury purchases discreetly versus proudly showing their purchases to others. In addition, more than 90% indicate that acquiring a long-lasting, high quality product is more important than enhancing their status.

“What we see in this insightful Luxury Institute research is that during the recession, the U.S. luxury market changed and people changed,” said Jim Farley, Executive Vice President of Ford Motor Company Global Marketing, Sales and Service and Lincoln. “They want what appeals most to their desires and not what they believe will impress others and this is a trend we believe will continue to grow ever stronger. We also took good note that in the automotive sector the expectation of great service is still being underserved, something we intend to address with the new Lincoln.”

Other survey results highlighted the fact that half of high-income shoppers rely on user reviews and the recommendations of family and close friends, enabling quick sharing of opinions and influence. These top-two influencers of luxury consumers’ purchase decisions demonstrate how relative newcomers can quickly establish brands that compete with established stalwarts, and how traditional brands can reinvigorate themselves via digital media.

Added Milton, “What we hear consistently and loudly from wealthy consumers is that the manner in which the goods are sold, as well as the service provided after the sale, are nearly as important as the products themselves. With American brands growing in luxury influence, there is a clear eagerness on the part of the global consumer to embrace American luxury brands, making service a critical success factor for the future.”

Survey Methodology
The Luxury Institute conducted an in-depth online survey with 1,216 affluent U.S. consumers in cooperation with the Lincoln Motor Company. Half male and half female respondents were recruited and screened to only include those age 21 or older with a minimum gross annual income of $150,000 and ownership/lease of at least one luxury automobile.

About the Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)
The Luxury Institute is the objective and independent global voice of the high net-worth Consumer. The Institute conducts extensive and actionable research with wealthy consumers about their behaviors and attitudes on customer experience best practices. In addition, we work closely with top-tier luxury brands to successfully transform their organizational cultures into more profitable customer-centric enterprises. Our Luxury CRM Culture consulting process leverages our fact-based research and enables luxury brands to dramatically Outbehave as well as Outperform their competition. The Luxury Institute also operates LuxuryBoard.com, a membership-based online research portal, and the Luxury CRM Association, a membership organization dedicated to building customer-centric luxury enterprises.

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October 19, 2012

Survey: Watch, Jewelry Sellers Forge Best Relationships

Posted in Customer Experience,Handbags,Jewelry,Watches,Wealthy Consumer
Tags: Milton Pedraza —

By: Rob Bates
JCK Magazine

Stores that sell watches and jewelry forge stronger relationships with customers than retailers of other luxury goods, says a new survey of affluent consumers by the Luxury Institute.

The survey found that 49 percent of affluent consumers have strong relationships with their watch retailers—the highest level for any category—and that 40 percent have similar relationships with jewelry sellers. Men’s ready-to-wear was third, followed by handbags and women’s ready-to-wear.

As to how jewelry sellers established relationships with consumers, the largest number of respondents (37 percent) said the jewelers “made them feel comfortable.” Some 35 percent said the retailer “demonstrated they were an expert,” and 30 percent said “they were not too pushy or overbearing.”

These relationships pay off: Two-thirds of respondents who have relationships with specific sales professionals at jewelry brands say they purchase more as a result.

Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute, tells JCK that, as impressive as these numbers are, they should be higher, noting the importance of relationships to upper-income consumers.

“There is no reason that we shouldn’t cultivate a much higher level for relationship building,” he says. “In the luxury industry, they should be your jewelers for life.”

The survey queried U.S. consumers with at least $5 million in assets and $200,000 in annual income.

http://www.jckonline.com/2012/10/18/survey-watch-jewelry-sellers-forge-best-relationships

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October 17, 2012

Luxury Institute exec: Humanize first, mobilize second

Posted in Clienteling,Customer Experience,Mobile,Wealthy Consumer
Tags: Luxury Interactive, Milton Pedraza —

By: Rimma Kats
Luxury Daily
October 17, 2012

NEW YORK – A Luxury Institute executive at the Luxury Interactive 2012 conference said that brands must understand the value and potential of personal sales associate communications versus mass emails from corporate.

During the “Optimizing Mobile Technology to Build Customer Relationships” session, the executive addressed how mobile technology is not a differentiator, but a utility. Moreover, it is how marketers use the technology that matters.

“It’s all about the human-to-human relationships,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of Luxury Institute, New York. “The biggest opportunity to use mobile to drive profits is customer relationship building.”

Click the link to read the entire article which includes quotes from Milton Pedraza, CEO of Luxury Institute: http://www.luxurydaily.com/luxury-institute-exec-humanize-first-mobilize-second/

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October 11, 2012

Ultra-Wealthy Shoppers Spend More On Luxury Where They Maintain Personal Relationships; Pentamillionaires most likely to be close with specific sales professionals at Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman

(NEW YORK) October 11, 2012 – U.S. consumers with at least $5 million in assets and $200,000 in annual income share detailed opinions and observations about their relationships with salespeople in six luxury categories in the new 2012 Luxury Customer Relationship Index survey from the independent and objective New York-based Luxury Institute.

High-ticket categories show higher rates of customers who deal with a specific salesperson. Watches (49%) lead all categories in terms of proportion of customers who maintain relationships with salespeople, followed by jewelry (40%) and men’s ready-to-wear (38%). There is a noticeable drop-off in rates of personal relationships at luxury retailers (30%), handbag brands (27%) and women’s ready-to-wear (21%).

Across categories, 70% of ultra-wealthy customers who transact and communicate with a specific salesperson say that this relationship causes them to spend more on goods and services in stores and on the Web. The biggest positive impact on sales comes when customers maintain relationships with salespeople in luxury retail, and in both men’s and women’s ready-to-wear categories.

In luxury retail, Bergdorf Goodman (51%) and Barneys (49%) enjoy the highest rates of maintaining relationships with ultra-wealthy customers, with larger chains like Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom seeing lower incidence of relationships. In the middle are Brooks Brothers (36%), Neiman Marcus (32%), Lord & Taylor (30%), and Saks (26%).

“Luxury retailers know that relationships drive sales,” says Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. “The right hiring, education programs and Customer Culture help to promote more productive relationships and higher sales.”

About the Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)
The Luxury Institute is the objective and independent global voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute conducts extensive and actionable research with wealthy consumers about their behaviors and attitudes on customer experience best practices. In addition, we work closely with top-tier luxury brands to successfully transform their organizational cultures into more profitable customer-centric enterprises. Our Luxury CRM Culture consulting process leverages our fact-based research and enables luxury brands to dramatically Outbehave as well as Outperform their competition. The Luxury Institute also operates LuxuryBoard.com, a membership-based online research portal, and the Luxury CRM Association, a membership organization dedicated to building customer-centric luxury enterprises.

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