The Retailer Winter Edition 2022

Embracing the ‘conscious consumer’ The surge in customers’ social and environ mental awareness has increased demand for product information on a broad agenda, including wellbeing, diversity, ethical manufac turing processes and sustainability. According to Accenture, 60% of shoppers are making more environmentally friendly, sustainable, or ethical purchases, with nine out of 10 shoppers committed to this long-term. Red Ant’s Home and Furniture Survey reports, ‘30% of custom ers would choose their next sofa based on a retailer’s sustainability credentials’. Customers want paritywith brands, expecting them to live the same values. This is perfectly possible, but only with readily available data. The future of retail is clienteling, to offer a trusted shopping companion with trusted information. The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated the adoption of technologies that deliver a personalised experience no matter where customers choose to shop. Smart retailers recognised the value in using custom er-focused experiences to retain their business when theywere unable to visit physical stores, which paid off in terms of loyalty once stores could reopen. Clienteling will engage customers

Retailers delivering clienteling both in-store and onlinewill allow customers to seamlessly shop and check out anywhere. Offering integrated clienteling augmentedwith virtual consultations allows store associates to cater to customers’ specific desires and needs and share the ethos of the company with them. Elevating the store associate role and giving them the authority and confidence to speak as ambassadors builds affinity with customers. Brands putting the whole business behind customer experience and utilising their customer data to drive stra tegic business outcomes will be the winners in a challenging and ever-changing landscape. After beginning her career in account manage ment, Sarah followed the client relationship ladder all the way to the emerging digital land scape in Dubai, where she ledmajor projects for leading global brands including IBM andVolvo. On her return to the UK, Sarah joined Red Ant where she applied her extensive experience of networked and independent tech-based businesses to drive the company forward in its pioneering work with high-profile brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, Furniture Village SARAH FRISWELL, CEO AT RED ANT

and Chalhoub Group. As Red Ant’s CEO, she is responsible for driving and guiding the busi ness, from ensuring the company is run in a sustainable and ethical way to heading up talent selection and overseeing project progress and delivery to clients. She is particularly passionate about diversity, equality and encouraging the progression of women in what can be a tough industry, and has been instrumental in ensuring positive measures are part of RedAnt’s policies.

Sarah Friswell linkedin.com/in/sarah-friswell-72239511

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