WHAT'S THE STORY
The Future – Who?
“PERSONALITY PAIRED WITH SOFTWARE” “It is all about addressing the people in retail and making their daily work easier by providing technical aids,” says Clara Becker of Humino.
“WHAT HELPS PEOPLE MOST?” As a spin-off of the Ramelow fashion house, Humino advises brick-and-mortar retailers and chain stores on how to master digital change. What’s the idea behind the approach? Clara Becker, co-founder and Managing Director of Humino: Consulting for innovation, digital change, or digital transformation – it all sounds so technical. Humino is all about addressing the people in retail and making their daily work easier by providing technical aids. Examples include social intranet, social media, and apps that grant direct access to the supplier’s warehouse to offer customers extreme availability. How can the use of social media be improved in terms of sales? Communication with regular customers usually still takes place via traditional channels. Channels such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, as well as messengers such as WhatsApp, can be harnessed to convey completely different information and emotions – provided they are perceived as a stage. A certain salesperson can, for example, become the real star of a branch. How does the consulting and support process look in practice? It’s all about the values and culture of the organisation. We build on that. Only then can we develop solutions and tools together. We always ask: What contributes to the core business? What helps people most? The bottom line is to make work more fun for employees and to turn visitors into customers. Together with the employees, we also define rules for when the smartphone is used in sales. 106
style in progress
How can being a salesperson be fun? Melanie Dähler-Goldener, Managing Director of Goldener: We need to fully realise that fashion is available everywhere. We and our employees, however, are not. The personal approach is what defines us. Does this include the way customers are addressed? Especially. We take great care to ensure that our customers are advised by the salesperson who suits them best, in whom they have trust. Every customer is individual, just like our employees. Subsidia, our proprietary software developed by my uncle Urs Goldener and my cousin Diego Goldener, supports us in this. It is also in use at other fashion houses in Switzerland. To what extent does it help? The software not only allows every employee to sign off payments via mobile phone, but also grants them access to merchandise management and the respective customer’s sales history. Which brand was purchased? And when? Which changes were made to the garment? Within minutes, we know the customer’s favourite brand and models. We can provide the clothes in the correct size. All this information is a huge help to us. Not only does it save time, it also benefits the sales advice process. Based on the sales history, we can suggest new pieces. The customer, in turn, feels understood and taken seriously.
Melanie Dähler-Goldener is a member of the management board of Swiss fashion house Goldener, a fourth-generation family business.
