Is glamour dead? Never – post-pandemic power dressing is inevitable

I was promised the delivery on a Friday during a specific time slot in the morning. I cleared my calendar, did not accept any external meetings and waited for hours. By early afternoon, I became suspicious and called the customer service of the shipping company. They told me that their computer systems were down and all delivery appointments that were made online (mine was one of them) were cancelled. I lost half of a workday, just to get a grumpy “customer service representative” on the line, who told me she could not help, and I should try again on Monday.

Long story short, the items were delivered several days later, but the delivery staff refused to bring them to the dedicated spaces, unpack them, and take the packing material back. While all other points in the digital purchasing process were convenient and flawless, the “last mile” was a catastrophe. The problem: we always remember the first and last impression. And if the last impression is terrible, the entire brand experience is tainted.

Luxury brands should focus on China in 2021 – but how?

This is just one example of many that I am sure all of you reading this column have experienced yourself. Sometimes the packaging may arrive damaged. In other cases the delivery staff are late, unfriendly, or both. In a best case, the last mile is acceptable and does not destroy the luxury brand perception.

How luxury watchmakers have embraced VR online boutiques during Covid-19

However, what I have practically never experienced was to be positively delighted, surprised and blown away during the last mile. This is where luxury brands leave opportunities in extreme value creation and differentiation untapped. As an example, the furniture brand could have a brand specialist accompanying the delivery and establishing a personal contact with me. The price of the items would certainly warrant the time investment. During such a visit, the specialist could have reinforced the brand storytelling, while also learning more about me. In a good example, the brand could have established a lifelong customer relationship and added a personal note to an otherwise digital process. In my experience, the reality destroys value rather than creating it.

And since when it comes to luxury every detail matters, this omission can be deadly. Creating extreme value by establishing an end-to-end customer experience for online shoppers – that includes the entire digital journey and all its physical touchpoints – will be the luxury battleground of the near future. It’s a call to action for many luxury brands across categories.

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .