Introduction

Consumers have high expectations for their in-store shopping experienced primarily in the current world that is characterized by rapid changes in trends and fashions. Businesses in the fashion industry have over the years started to focus on how they can improve the shopping experienced of their clients in such way that it attracts them and increase their loyalty to the business through using strategies such as ensuring proper layout of the products and attractive retail environment.  This essay sets to provide a critical discussion about the experience or ethnography of a visit to the Louis Vuitton luxury store.

Critical Analysis of the Luxury Retail Environment through the Lens of the things Discussed in Class

One of the leading international fashion houses in the world is called Louis Vuitton (LV) which is a French fashion house and luxury retail firm which is selling luxurious products such as jewelry, ready-to-wear shoes, books, watches, sunglasses and accessories(Tak and Jaehoon 1212). It was founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton and has been selling its products through the e-commerce section of its website, lease departments and standalone boutiques that are located in high-end department stores across the globe (Tak and Jaehoon 1212).

Goals and Objectives

Louis Vuitton store that is located on the 5^th Avenue has a retail environment that gives it’s a competitive advantage over its rivals through the way it enhances the shopping experienced of its clients(Steele 39). Louis Vuitton Store has several goals and objectives that it focuses on achieving in the course of running its business. The first objective involves assisting people to maintain a high social status through providing them with prestigious products and primarily focuses on the wealthy men and women in the age bracket of 19 to 80 years (Steele 42). For instance, despite the fashion and luxury market changing across the world, this store has continued to maintain the innovation, creativity, premium pricing, precision, exclusivity, high quality and craftsmanship attributes of its fashion and luxury products (Steele 46).

These attributes give its customers not only the extra-added psychological benefits such as prestige and a sense of high status in the society but also a high level of consumer satisfaction that is facilitated by the act of owning expensive items (Steele 48). During the visit to this store, this objective was evident all over the premises through the luxurious products that were displayed in the neat shelves. What captured one’s eyes were the shiny watches and jewelry that were manufactured using gold and although they were worth a fortune, an individual could hardly resist from buying at least of these products which were not common in other stores around this area.

Another goal of Louis Vuitton Store is ensuring that in-store experience remains its primary marketing vehicle through making sure that a festive atmosphere is ever present thus creating an excellent shopping experience for its clients(Howes, Michal and Stephan 110). Moreover, by showcasing both creativity and elegance through its products, this store focuses on representing the luxury life that its target customers aspire to have (Howes, Michal and Stephan 114). Additionally striving to be the best in what they do, ensuring unique and high-quality products are available to the clients, enhance product excellence and being both creative and innovative throughout the trading season is also part of the critical goals and objectives of this store (Howes, Michal and Stephan 118).

Anti-Laws of Marketing

In its effort of creating long-sellingrather best-selling products, Louis Vuitton Store which is located in the 5^th Avenue has over the years incorporated various anti-laws of marketing which have assisted it in maintaining excellent relationship with its customers over time. These anti-laws of marketing have helped in creating counterintuitive managerial principles that guide the business practices in this sector(Bastien and Jean-Noël 20). One of the critical anti-law of marketing that has enabled this store to enhance excellent customer’s experience relates to not pandering to the wishes of its clients (Bastien and Jean-Noël 22). The second one is protecting its clients from the existing non-clients by giving its loyal customers discounts and gifts depending on the number of purchases that they have made in the past (Bastien and Jean-Noël 23). The store also ensures that its products are always unique rather than being strategically positioned to help in ensuring that its customers do not compare its products with those offered by its competitors (Bastien and Jean-Noël 25). However, Louis Vuitton Store avoids engaging in various anti-laws of marketing such as dominating the client, failing to respond to rising consumer demands and making it increasingly difficult for its clients to buy its products (Bastien and Jean-Noël 29).

Story Telling and Curation

Through offering prestigious, unique and high-quality products, Louis Vuitton Store has managed to shape the behavior of its customers towards these products through ensuring they are appealing (Kim and Eunju 1481). Increasing the attractiveness of its products is always aimed to influence the customers into considering the option of buying these commodities by evaluating how they are likely to meet their needs, buying them and even advocating them to their friends for purchase due to the high customer satisfaction that they provide (Kim and Eunju 1484). Moreover, as part of its curation strategy for its clients, Louis Vuitton Store in 5^th Avenue ensures that its products are arranged in a logical order depending on the product lines and categories involved thus reducing time spent by the clients in locating products in different parts of the store (Kim and Eunju 1485). Such an approach has also given this store a competitive advantage over its rivals through increasing its consumers’ shopping experienced unlike most of its competitors.

Opinion on Whether the Store and Experience Echo the DNA of the Brand

It is evident that both this store and the experienced that it gives to its customers extensively echo the DNA of this brand. For instance, the use of experiential strategy has enabled Louis Vuitton Store to create a brand community of strictly high-income earners especially the fashionistas and trendsetters who always have status related motives(McCutcheon 192). The prestige attribute of this brand is echoed through the experienced that clients get while shopping in this fashion and luxury retail store. The Louis Vuitton Store that is located in 5^th Avenue has also implemented rituals such as giving the clients a chance to have a snapshot with models, musicians, actors, and other media personalities at the exit point as part of its souvenir to them (McCutcheon 195). For instance, it has collaborated with musicians such as Kanye West in the effort of attracting more clients especially those that love hip-hop music. These rituals are also meant to enhance its customer base while at the same time giving its clients a taste of the quality of Art of Living.

The store has enhanced the lighting system in the store through using bright and attractive colors, has a low-volume music that is always played at the background, fragrances, excellent product staging and a team of friendly and reliable salespersons who are dedicated to creatively providing a festive atmosphere in the store and assist the customers on any shopping issue that they were having(Nagasawa 42). These approaches are aimed at enhancing the consumer’s shopping experience while in the store. Moreover, this store is launched as one of the flagship stores of Louis Vuitton Company thus further promoting the prestigious products offered by this company plus also showcasing the identity of this brand to the high-income earners while at the same time providing the target group with a satisfactory brand experience (Nagasawa 44).

Main Take Away

The main take away from my experience during my visit in Louis Vuitton Store is that the best way that any company especially one in the fashion and luxury industry can manage to increase its customer base despite selling its products at a premium price is through ensuring excellent customer shopping experience. Examples of strategies to use include seeking help from the salespersons, promotion using celebrities and attractive and well-organized décor through methods such as proper lighting and playing soft music at the background among others.

What I Liked Best about the Experience

Presence of highly reliable and friendly salespersons who have excellent interpersonal communication and customers service delivery skills is one of the aspects that I liked most about my shopping experience in this store (Nagasawa 42). For instance, one of the salespeople helped in identifying the best diamond-made necklace that I would buy for my mother as her birthday gift which was two days away from the day a visited this store. He even suggested some of the alternatives that I could use if the necklace looked not enough to be a birthday gift to my mother. Such customer services caught my attention, and it is one of the motivators that will keep me going back there in case I need to go shopping for clothes and other luxury products.

Store Layout and General Flow

The Louis Vuitton Store that is situated on the 5th Avenue has tasteful décor that highlights a festive atmosphere which is designed in a way that it fits well in well-planned obscurity thus effectively corresponding in principle to what its target clients expect in such a sales outlet. The store also has a sensational entrance that creates the festive mood in the clients right from the time that they enter in this store (Nagasawa 46). Moreover, in the effort of facilitating smooth flow of merchandise in the store, Louis Vuitton Store uses First In First Out approach to ensure that those products that were stocked first are still the ones sold first before the others (Nagasawa 48). This strategy has enabled this store to avoid overstocking or understocking. Additionally, by choosing a layout fits its business, Louis Vuitton Store has managed to avoid placing its products in the decompression zone, minimize counters and maintain excellent visibility of its products to its customers (Nagasawa 53).

Conclusion

Conclusively, organizations in fashion and luxury industry can increase the customer loyalty and increase sales and profits through creating an outstanding consumer shopping experience which acts as a good marketing strategy of that gives them a competitive advantage.

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