Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM DECEMBER 2021 50 S upply chain challenges, price increases, remodeling projects being put on hold – and yet the premium appliance business continues to grow. According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association, the kitchen and bath business grew 19% in 2021 to $167.2 billion! Unfortunately, this growth is not sustainable year after year, so the question becomes: what are you doing today to invest in your business and improve the luxury consumer experience for tomorrow? By now, most retail business owners have accepted that the customer journey has changed forever. It's been said that a customer- centric strategy that addresses key needs throughout the consumer's journey is the path to success. Let's simplify this by breaking down some key consumer questions that arise as they research the luxury appliances segment online. Done right, you'll drive more consumers to your showroom, and to one of your expert sales professionals to create the kitchen of their dreams. Start by considering some upgrades you can make to your website to improve the luxury consumer experience. Over the last 12 months there have been over 1.9 million unique views to Nationwide Marketing Group Members' websites by consumers searching for the top brands in the luxury appliance category. This is up 27% vs the previous year, and the growth will continue at a high rate. The good news: There are a number of tactics you can apply to your website today to improve the online consumer experience. • Appointment Scheduling — What some retailers started doing out of necessity at the height of the pandemic, many have kept doing for sheer convenience. Appointment scheduling is allowing retailers to offer consumers a high-touch/concierge service. The best news is that we're receiving reports that our Members have a 90% close rate on these appointments. • Chat — Chat is typically considered an ecommerce tool, but it's also a great way to engage with consumers on your website as they are actively researching luxury brands. You can use the engagement to establish yourself as the leader in your respective market, while convincing them to come into your store and meet with an expert. Here's what Nationwide's Senior VP of Omnichannel Technology Jennifer Danko says about our propriety chat platform, Chatterbox: "Chatterbox live chat is designed to help retailers transform shoppers into customers with real-time digital conversations. Retailers using Chatterbox can engage with their customers through website chat, SMS, and video chat, and they can also seamlessly transition any of these online interactions to a phone call. This flexible approach lets retailers meet their customers wherever they are in the shopper journey, and ultimately close more sales from online leads." • Upgraded Brand Pages — Depending on your website provider, you may have the ability to customize the look and content of key luxury partners such as Monogram or Fisher Paykel, leading to an unforgettable experience for consumers while they research on your website. • Virtual Tours — Even as vendors were closing their experience centers during the pandemic, many shifted to a virtual experience center experience, creating virtual tours for customers hosted right on their websites. In partnership with key vendors, we are creating opportunities to embed these virtual experiences directly into your websites. These experiences provide a great way to mirror that in-store experience for your consumers from the comfort of their home. • RDC Feeds — RDC stands for Regional Distribution Center. With inventory being a high-consideration factor for consumers when making purchases (even in the luxury space), sharing inventory status on your website will help drive more transactions both online and in-store. This becomes increasingly important for the luxury space, because most retailers aren't stocking $15k ranges. With the RDC feed from our strategic vendor partners, Members can now use the vendors' regional distribution centers' inventory as their own, which will update on their website in real time. So now when a consumer is online looking at that new $15k range, they'll see "Availability in three weeks" instead of "Not in-stock." Real-time inventory status is becoming a game changer for Members who've adopted this strategy. I encourage everyone who participates in the luxury category to discuss these various upgrades with their website provider. One of the true strengths of the Independent channel is the ability to evolve and adapt rapidly to the changing marketplace. Add to that the support from the team here at Nationwide, and there is no stopping us! John O'Halloran Appliance Trends John O'Halloran, Sr. Merchant, Luxury Appliances, Nationwide Marketing Group RO UPGRADING THE LUXURY APPLIANCE SHOPPER EXPERIENCE

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