Elevating luxury: The ultimate guide to premium customer experience in China

This is a comprehensive study delving into premium customer experience. The post is approximately 2,000 words long and takes about 20 minutes to read.

Why is customer experience pivotal in today’s market? 

It's simple: a stellar customer experience distinguishes your brand, fosters loyalty, and fuels word-of-mouth marketing — key drivers of revenue growth and enduring success in a fiercely competitive landscape.

Steve Jobs famously remarked: "You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology, not the other way around."

At Wiredcraft, we live by this philosophy. As a leading digital consultancy with deep expertise in strategy, design, data, and technology, we always put our clients first, creating groundbreaking digital products and services that captivate millions. In our recent webinar on premium customer experience, we unpacked invaluable insights and shared practical toolkits designed to help brands enhance their interactions and connection with customers.

 

How luxury brands are winning with digital excellence in China

According to a PwC global consumer survey, customers are willing to pay a premium for superior experiences, which significantly influences Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).

Notably, a single poor experience can cause 32% of consumers to abandon a brand, while approximately 25% are willing to pay extra for high-quality experiences across various product categories. For luxury brands, this premium can range between 15-18%.

As the luxury market in China increasingly shifts online, brands are broadening their digital strategies beyond their own e-commerce platforms.

Recognizing the importance of reaching consumers where they are most active, luxury brands are now actively establishing their presence on major e-commerce sites like Tmall and JD.com , as well as on popular social media platforms such as WeChat, RED (Xiaohongshu) and Douyin.

Chinese consumers are not only adapting to but also expecting top-tier online experiences from luxury brands. Either good or bad, the quality of service and overall online experience can have a profound impact.

 

Customer transformation stages

In response to evolving consumer expectations, many globally recognized brands are enhancing their presence and impact in China.

They turn to Wiredcraft for its expertise in developing digital products and services that not only meet but exceed the demands of today's luxury consumers.

From stages 0-1 to 99-100 and O2O, we have helped countless brands elevate their premium customer experience in the digital realm.

0-1: Entry-level digital presence

Brands entering the Chinese market or those without an online presence are at this stage. Wiredcraft helps these brands from the beginning, creating digital platforms that enhance their visibility. For example, we developed both a limited and a permanent e-commerce mini-program for Tiffany's 180th anniversary and set up LE LABO's first online store in China’s mainland.

99-100: Advanced digital evolution

Brands at this stage already have online platforms but need updates to stay ahead. Wiredcraft revitalizes their digital presence and improves interactions with customers. Our work includes projects for well-known brands like BULGARI, Louis Vuitton, GUCCI, NIKE, CHANEL, Breitling and more.

O2O (Online to Offline) full integration

This stage involves blending online and offline experiences into one smooth customer journey. Wiredcraft builds these comprehensive experiences from the ground up, enhancing customer engagement. Notable collaborations include projects with top-tier brands in the jewelry and spirits sectors.

 

Elevating luxury from offline to online 

Luxury goods inherently focus on exclusivity, craftsmanship, and storytelling, which traditionally thrive in an offline environment where the senses are engaged directly. Digitalization, on the other hand, aims to enhance efficiency and accessibility, often at odds with the luxury ethos of scarcity and meticulous brand cultivation. So how can brands mirror and elevate premium customer experience from offline to online?

Key digital focus areas:

• Product: Emphasize craftsmanship, materials, and heritage with detailed storytelling and high-quality visuals.

• Spirit: Craft narratives that extend beyond the products to embody a lifestyle that resonates with and inspires your audience.

• Service: Introduce personalized and customizable online services such as exclusive previews, bespoke product options, or private consultations.

Key elements (3Is) to enhance online customer experiences:

• Information: Deliver rich, contextual information that educates consumers about the brand’s values, history, and unique craftsmanship.

• Interaction: Create engaging digital interfaces, incorporating elements like virtual tours, augmented reality (AR) experiences, or live consultations to mimic in-store interactions.

• Insight: Harness data to offer tailored experiences and products, reflecting the bespoke service traditionally offered in-store.

At Wiredcraft, we tailor our strategies to align with the distinct characteristics of each brand, whether they are niche players or epitomes of luxury. This bespoke approach ensures that every brand's unique qualities are perfectly translated into their digital presence.

 

For LE LABO, a niche fragrance and lifestyle brand, Wiredcraft was instrumental in launching its online presence in mainland China, ensuring the brand’s unique in-store experience translated well digitally. 

We conducted detailed user research to customize LE LABO’s approach, focusing on its signature wabi-wabi style, natural ingredients, unique craftsmanship, and customized services, all of which resonated deeply with customers.

We also crafted LE LABO’s digital experience to reflect the brand’s artisanal qualities and personal touch. We helped the brand present content that showcases the craftsmanship and shares customer stories, creating a cohesive online platform that smoothly connects with the physical store by facilitating easy appointment bookings. Find out more about our collaboration with LE LABO.

For brands that epitomize the pinnacle of luxury, consider setting up an exclusive online portal accessible only to product owners. This can further enhance the sense of exclusivity and personalized luxury, offering services and experiences that are uniquely tailored to the discerning needs of high-end consumers.

So, how can we manage offline experience across different touchpoints?

After exploring how to mirror and elevate premium customer experience from offline to online, we now need to focus on managing offline experience holistically across various touchpoints. The approach involves three key stages: set-up, orchestration and watch out in the long-term management.

Set-up

The initial of set-up of offline touchpoints is crucial for delivering a consistent and impactful customer experience. This can be approached from several perspectives:

• Brand-led:
  This approach is for brands that are more focused on what kind of products, services they want to deliver. Take Louis Vuitton for instance. In China, the brand uses a digital ecosystem to manage its diverse product lines through multiple targeted mini-programs. This setup clarifies consumer navigation and meets varied needs efficiently.

• User-led:
  One of the best examples of the user-led approach is APPLE, which tailors its platforms to fit different user needs, ensuring all touchpoints from their website to their Tmall and mini-program cater to specific customer segments, enhancing personalized engagement.

• Brand x user hybrid approach:
  Nike merges brand-led and user-led strategies to direct consumers to the right platforms for their needs, from exclusive sneaker releases on SNKRS to a broad product range on Taobao, adapting content and marketing to user preferences across the purchasing cycle.

In each approach, the primary goal is to strategically align the channels to the brand’s objectives and the customers’ expectations, enhancing the overall consumer journey.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution; the advantage of digital strategies lies in their adaptability and the opportunity to experiment and fine-tune approaches based on real-time feedback and results.

Orchestration

In orchestrating offline touchpoints, logical transitions between each module, page, and system component (like mini-programs and official accounts) are crucial.

However, the digital world is full of distractions.

To keep users engaged, substantial effort must go into research to understand and harness data insights. This research helps identify and address frictions and seize opportunities to encourage and enhance digital engagement.

Watch Out

Maintaining customer satisfaction in the digital journey revolves around the "Three Cs":

Consistency is key: Even if the digital journey is interrupted, maintaining consistency ensures the brand leaves a lasting impression on the customer.

• Consistent communication: Deliver on the services promised to build trust and reliability.

• Consistent emotion: Aim to evoke positive emotions throughout the customer journey.

• Consistent journey: Ensure a uniform experience from start to finish across all platforms, while maintaining distinctiveness where necessary.

Key points to consider:

• Unite and differentiate: While creating consistency is crucial for a cohesive brand experience, it’s important to introduce differentiators that compel users to engage across various touchpoints.

• Follow the user’s journey: Let the user’s journey guide strategic decisions, using it as a north star to navigate the complexities of digital interaction.

Practical toolkits for premium customer experience

Transforming unique brand characteristics into captivating experiences requires a suite of sophisticated tools:

• Ideation workshop:
  Kickstart the journey by diving deep into the heart of your brand’s unique traits and the pivotal needs of your users. An ideation workshop is instrumental in uncovering these vital elements, setting the stage for transformative experiences.

• Customer journey mapping:

We strongly recommend employing customer journey mapping for a panoramic view of all platforms.

This strategic tool allows you to scrutinize the relationships and commonalities between various touchpoints, orchestrating a seamless and unified brand journey that captivates at every turn.

• Standardized guidelines:
  To ensure every aspect of the customer interaction resonates with your brand’s ethos, developing standardized guidelines is crucial. These serve as the blueprint that maintains consistency and excellence across all channels, ensuring every touchpoint is a reflection of your brand’s promise. 

Looking to craft experiences that not only meet but exceed expectations?

Wiredcraft is your go-to partner, ready to harness these tools to propel your brand into the hearts and minds of your customers, ensuring every interaction is an opportunity to impress. Contact us.