In Close Contact with Customers

Soho/Trier

IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH CUSTOMERS Ever-changing temps? Not at Claudia Sandmayer’s Soho fashion store… Instead, she relies on sales personalities who know their customers - and on audacity in her fashion range.

With its exclusive high fashion range, Soho has a unique position in the city centre of Trier.

“W e are super satisfied right now,” says Claudia Sandmayer about the revenue generated by the new spring/summer items. Be it thick coarse-knitted pullovers in light colours by Lala Berlin, dresses by Self-Portrait, or - more recently - by Zimmermann, as well as brands such as Chloé, Celine, and Valentino - the high-quality mix focuses on trends and is well-received by customers. The latter also appreciate that Claudia Sandmayer is willing to stick her head out rather than playing it safe in terms of suggestions. “We hardly even order basics,” Claudia Sandmayer stresses. “I’d rather go after what looks cool and what I like.”

A Great Team 30 years ago, Claudia Sandmayer and her husband Volker Sandmayer launched the store in St. Ingbert, Saarland. However, the business stalled once it became apparent that the store concept wasn’t suitable for a rural village. They relocated to Trier 20 years ago and success was almost immediate. “The people

here appreciate our open nature.” The couple forms a great team. Volker Sandmayer is responsible for the office, but both travel to orders together. Most customers are from the region, but also from Luxem- bourg and France. It’s therefore all the more important for them that they don’t travel for nothing and find a personal advisor who makes time for them and is familiar with their style. Close customer contact is the vital suc- cess factor for Soho. “We inform customers about newly arrived items personally, and they are always incredibly grateful,” says Claudia Sandmayer, who is a style role model for many. The same applies to her employ- ees. “When we post outfits on Instagram or Facebook, people react immediately. I often already know that this is going to be a 100 percent sale.”

“I need direct customer contact. Without it I couldn’t order accord- ingly,” says Claudia Sandmayer, the owner of Soho. Pictured with her husband Volker Sandmayer.

Soho

Fleischstrasse 54, 54290 Trier/Germany www.soho-moden.com Opening in Trier: 1998; in the current premises since 2011 Owner: Claudia Sandmayer Managing Directors: Claudia and Volker Sandmayer Employees: 5 Sales area: approx. 300 sqm Brands for women: among others 360Cashmere, Anine Bing, Arma, Brunello Cucinelli, Celine, Chloé, Citizens of Humanity, Dorothee Schumacher, Duvetica, FTC Cashmere, Friendly Hunting, Ganni, Hanky Panky, Iris von Arnim, Isabel Marant Étoile, IVI Collection, Jadicted, Joseph, Juvia, Lala Berlin, Lis Lareida, Liv Bergen, Maison Lener, Moncler, Odeeh, Paige, Piú & Piú, Red Valentino, Sam Edel- man, Self-Portrait, SLY010, Sminfinity, Stouls, Ulla Johnson, Valentino, Vince, Yves Salomon, Zimmermann Accessories brands: among others Celine, Chloé, Friendly Hunting, Marjana von Berlepsch, Moncler, Valentino

Recognising People New York, London, Paris, Munich Everybody Talk About… Personalisation!

Adapting a product or service to the personal needs of the individual customer is regarded as the Holy Grail of our modern consumer society. Given the increasingly fierce global competition for the attention and favour of customers who are not merely spoiled, but also confused, overwhelmed, and potentially even bored by the daily flood of offers on all channels, personalisation and customising seem like a lifesaving emergency exit. And technology, as in (once again) digitisation, seems like the path that leads to that exit door. As always, when a new buzzword bursts onto the scene, it makes sense to not merely babble about it, but to question it and maybe even brush it against the grain. Here’s a short attempt to classify the phenomenon in four points: 1. Personalisation really isn’t a newly discovered yellow brick road, but always the essence of every form of human interaction. Thus it is, of course (or maybe even especially), the essence of commerce. All people are different, after all. And if the idea of really taking this diversity seriously seems almost revolutionary, it is mainly because quite a few big players (not only in our fashion industry) have attempted to impose a globally uniform assortment on a global audience. I mean, seriously? The Nike “Community Store” in

Los Angeles, which was launched last year, is a perfect example of the insight that standardisation cannot work. 2. However, the “Community Store” is also a perfect example of how data generated online (the new gold standard of our digital economy) makes it possible to disrupt the anonymity of a global brand. In fact,

Big Data (tut-tut, what a bad word) is the perfect tool to gain a better understanding of people’s wants and needs, whether by target groups or actual individuals. Granted, such an accumulation of almost all conceivable personal data is spooky in many ways. But in a nutshell: Deal with it! Just about every technological revolution harbours both opportunities and dangers. I urge everyone to take advantage of the opportunities. 3. Personalisation certainly doesn’t mean that consumers will suddenly be able to create products themselves, always and everywhere. The vast majority have neither the time nor the desire nor (whether they admit it or not) the ability to do so. The chance to become a designer by choosing the sole colour of your sneakers is super exciting regarding gamification and communication, but it won’t dominate the market - at least not in the foreseeable future. However, in recent years examples such as Supreme and Off White should have made clear to us that there is a direct connection between limitation and desirability. “I own something that you don’t!” Individualisation always represents a desire for distinction. Not exactly news, is it? But it was very important to see this principle demonstrated once more in such a drastic manner. It points the way out of the cul-de-sac into which the 24/7 availability of almost

EVERYTHING has manoeuvred us. Personalisation also means having to wait for something or not getting it at all. How amazingly exotic! 4. Last but not least, let me turn my attention to what I believe is the most important pillar of any success model: recognising the customer as an individual, i.e. as a single human entity. That’s the service aspect, right there. This is precisely where the decisive opportunity lies to turn a seemingly simple everyday purchase into a moment of memorable magic. Can and will modern technology contribute? Well, of course. Does that mean humans become replaceable? No way! Yours truly, Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at

Publisher, editorial office, advertising department and owner

B2B Media GmbH & Co KG Salzweg 17, 5081 Salzburg-Anif Austria T 0043.6246.89 79 99 F 0043.6246.89 79 89 office@ucm-verlag.at www.style-in-progress.com www.ucm-verlag.at

Management Stephan Huber

Editors-in-chief

Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at Martina Müllner-Seybold martina.muellner@ucm-verlag.at

Art direction/production

Elisabeth Prock-Huber elisabeth@ucm-verlag.at

Contributing writers

Isabel Faiss Ina Köhler Kay Alexander Plonka Nicoletta Schaper Joachim Schirrmacher Veronika Zangl

Image editor

Johannes Hemetsberger

Advertising director

Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at

Publisher’s assistant, distribution

Sigrid Staber sigrid.staber@ucm-verlag.at Christina Hörbiger christina.hoerbiger@ucm-verlag.at

English translations

Manfred Thurner

Printing

sandlerprint&packaging 3671 Marbach, Austria

Printing coordinator Manfred Reitenbach

Printemps/Été 2019 Adèle, Angèle et Lemmie Marseille