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Why Customer Experience Is So Important in the Resale Industry

There is no question that customers of resale clothing stores like Plato’s Closet® and Style Encore® appreciate a good bargain, but that is only one of the reasons they keep coming back. In the resale industry especially, shoppers are not only interested in affordable prices, they are also looking for personalized service – making the customer experience a critical component to the success of a business.

Great Experiences Translate into Loyalty and Revenue
A recent study found that the most important impact of great customer experience is loyalty, and 53 percent of consumers would pay a higher price for the experiences they value most. Therefore, an elevated buyer experience helps boost the bottom line and create customer loyalty.

Customer experience is a perception, however, which can vary across the board. It is based on how well an individual customer’s needs have been met. The customer experience encompasses a combination of elements, including customer service and customer satisfaction, by putting the customer’s needs at the center of a company’s business strategy.

How Our Franchisees Focus on Customer Experience
Shannon Kemp, owner and operator of Style Encore in Greensboro, North Carolina, understands the importance of the customer experience and has seen great success as a result.

Style Encore offers gently used women’s clothing for both business and casual needs, and Shannon attributes her customer loyalty in large part to her ability to make connections with the women who come into her store. Whether they are in need of an outfit for a special event or a slew of clothes for a new job or the result of a weight loss journey, she works with them to find pieces that are a perfect fit for them as individuals.

In many ways, Shannon sees herself and her employees as the customer, helping her keep the customer experience at the forefront of her business strategy. As a resale business, this not only helps facilitate transactions and create customer loyalty within her community, it also helps boost her inventory when customers return with their own items to resell.

Customer Experience is a Long-Term Strategy
While investing in customer experience may not result in an immediate noticeable return on investment, it is necessary to create the long-term return that will maintain a company’s success. What’s more, customers today are expecting a great experience, and will take their business elsewhere rather than settle for less.

In the apparel industry, customers place emphasis on personalized assistance with wardrobe selections. Oftentimes, women are in need of a wardrobe upgrade for a variety of reasons, including:

  • A new job or new workplace dress code
  • Recent weight loss
  • A need to add some fresh style into their lineup

This is where the sales associate has the opportunity to transform a potential transaction into a tailored experience, creating a connection with the customer, which helps to establish an ongoing relationship.

In this day and age of increased online shopping, stores like Plato’s Closet and Style Encore maintain the ability to interact with customers face-to-face, providing immediate feedback and assistance specific to the individual, delivering the customer experience today’s shopper is often missing, and in the process creating a long-term relationship that will benefit both store and customer.

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