The Joy of Cultivating a Brand Relationship
We’ve all heard of the fabulous personal shoppers at Bergdorf’s, Saks, and Bloomingdales that cater to the creme de la creme, and while we all strive in most aspect to have that experience at least once in our lifetime, there is something about building a real relationship with a fashion house that is amazing and special.
The relationship I’m speaking about is not as a blogger but as a shopper. As a blogger I usually work with the PR teams/agencies about the latest and greatest, but as a shopper I am going into the stores and spending my own money on pieces that I love and feel are special enough to buy. Yes, I still believe in purchasing looks from the store and just relying on press gifts, because when you do, you slowly start to build a camaraderie with the stylists.
Last fall I got my first taste of what a true brand relationship looks like when I got an email from one of the associates at the DKNY SoHo store, reminding me that I had reward dollars to spend and they had just gotten in the fall arrivals. Now, I know I’m not the only girl that gets these emails, but at the same time I made me feel just a little bit special that after investing a lot of time and money with a brand, they took the time to send that email.
What has happened since that day last fall has been wonderful. My stylist now emails me not just when new arrivals get in, its more specific than that. This weekend I went in to get some pieces for spring and my stylist was prepared, she had put thought into what looks she wanted to show me, as we all know I’m a plus-size gal shopping in the regular sized world. She knows what I fabric, cut, and styles I’ll be willing to try and which ones are a no go.
I am now greeted with a warm smile as I most of the sale staff knows my face if not my name. They know my past purchases and are thrilled when I show them instagram photos of how I styled them for the blog. There is no pressure, if something doesn’t work, they work to help me find something else. There are several pieces in my wardrobe right now I wouldn’t have even thought to try if not for the stylist team’s input. I feel this is the lost art of not just customer service but shopping in-store.
Needless to say, a brand is only as good as their customers but if you work to build a relationship with that brand, man does it pay off in spades.
A photo posted by Misti Schindele (@entertainista) on Mar 14, 2015 at 1:08pm PDT