What I Learnt from Dior, Gentle Monster, and Mood Seoul.

For the ones that are into fashion, lifestyle and K-pop culture, Seoul is on top of the list when it comes to weekend getaways. Last weekend I had a memorable trip in Seoul that gave me new insights into running a customer-centric and forward-looking
business. Here are my three takeaways:

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: From high-end luxury houses such as Dior to Contemporary brands like Gentle Monster, there is a growing trend of building an accessible lifestyle offer. Dior’s pop-up café in the Seongsu-dong constantly draws customers to it through the eye-catching Dior logo latte. Gentle Monster’s flagship store in Sinsa houses unique art pieces and art-inspired desserts, clients are queuing to have a taste and take Instagram-able photos. Many more businesses offer an affordable lifestyle component to attract new customers and break the status quo of “luxury is intimidating”. Instead, they make it appealing for customers to discover, connect and eventually fall in love. What is the “lifestyle component” of your business that draws traffic and removes the entry barrier of your customers?

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: With the pace of living today, we all have a very short-term memory span. In time we are likely to forget the fancy dishes in Michelin restaurants or the glamorous fashion outfits in boutiques. We however retain moments – the fun, touching, delightful human interactions.  I had such a memorable evening at Mood Seoul - it is a jazz music wine bar that fuelled us with energy by a leading Korean jazz band. They engaged with the audience by inviting us to sing and dance throughout the evening. Equally memorable is how incredibly warm the Korean waitress made me feel in that traditional noodle place. Regardless of the language barrier, she constantly checked in to make sure we liked how the noodle was made and replenished our table with more side dishes and drinks, maintaining her bright smile at all times. Create moments of interactions with your customers that stamp space in their memory.

𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Hyundai Seoul is the first department store in Korea to launch a VIP programme for 39 years and below customers. The loyalty programme is tailored with a much lower spending threshold requirement, a range of millennium and gen Z relevant lifestyle offerings including a cool concept “39-year-old below only” VIP lounge. It is the customers that are buying the coffee and lipsticks today that will become your fashion and jewellery clients in five years’ time. Start understanding the shopping motivations of your younger customers and cater to them accordingly, you will be winning the loyalty competition in the long run.