Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter introduce enhanced personal shopping services
Net-a-porter, like other luxury retailers, has always paid extra attention to its big-spending clients, or EIPs (extremely important people). Now, it’s ramping up those services with a series of initiatives for Net and Mr Porter called “You Try, We Wait,” “Net-a-porter at Home” and “Mr Porter at Home”
As part of “You Try, We Wait,” personal shoppers will deliver orders to EIP clients at home on the same day as their request, wait until the pieces ordered have been tried on, and collect anything that needs to be returned. Customers no longer have to book an extra pickup for items they want to send back.
The same-day delivery service will be introduced in London in September to coincide with the start of the fall shopping season. By the end of the year, the service will be available in New York and Hong Kong, where the company has head offices and distribution centers.
“Net-a-porter at Home” and “Mr Porter at Home” are extensions of the service, with additional at-home consultations. Customers are presented with a curated edit of new-season items by their personal shoppers, as well as items on their wish lists. They are able to try everything on, and are invoiced for everything they keep.
“We are committed to harnessing innovation to elevate the shopping experience, and ultimately seek to use a personalized touch to make the lives of our customers easier,” said Alison Loehnis, president of Net-a-porter and Mr Porter.
EIP customers account for 2 percent of the customer base at Net-a-porter and Mr Porter, and generate 40 percent of sales. They also shop 12 times more frequently than the average customer, according to the company. Both Net-a-porter and Mr Porter have a dedicated team of personal shoppers across London, Hong Kong, New York and Los Angeles who communicate with customers through channels ranging from WhatsApp to one-on-one consultations in the personal shopping suites of the company’s offices.
The company offers its high-spending clients services such as global free shipping, the ability to reserve or pre-order new-season items, or exclusive collections and access to a series of lifestyle and shopping events hosted by the company. It creates special lookbooks for EIPs to buy from directly.
Although personal shoppers are traveling the world to visit key clients, the at-home service aims to make the service available to all EIPs in key markets.
