High-end Italian store Rinascente has extended its year-old On Demand WhatsApp mobile shopping concierge service to WeChat to tap into its growing Chinese customer base.
The new service works in the same way as On Demand: yet, while WhatsApp is used by Customers to send requests and receive information to make their purchase, WeChat offers an additional extra dimension of sharing information and promotions.
The service is another step forward towards a multi-channel relation to integrate the interaction with customers, using all available physical and digital touchpoints. Giving far-away customers the possibility to access its exclusive offers at any time is a tremendous opportunity for Rinascente and confirms the company’s desire to enhance its customer care service and expand its international horizons.
“Our foreign customers account for about 50% of Rinascente’s total revenues. In particular, our Chinese customers lead our Top Nationalities ranking. Their average spend amounts to around €250 and continues to grow: in the first half of the year alone, we’ve processed more than 275,000 transactions. Repositioning our Department Store towards affordable luxury has enriched and diversified our customer portfolio. The introduction of WeChat On Demand demonstrates how Rinascente is not only a place that offers a unique and gratifying shopping experience, but also a company committed to meeting the needs of all its target markets, surpassing expectations on a daily basis.”
– Pierluigi Cocchini, CEO, Rinascente
The new service is being rolled out on line via a digital engagement program, and in the store with totem touch screens and QRcodes. Six 6 native Chinese concierges are ready to help customers during the on-boarding in the store.
Digital Retex is a partner in the project – and is a trusted partner of Tencent, the Chinese group that is a global leader in digital innovation, launching WeChat in 2011, that develops and manages all the actions required to implement successful digital experiences online and in stores, and introduce European brands to China, harnessing the potential of the platform.
“WeChat On Demand opens up a whole world of new opportunities for the major brands in the fashion and luxury world. It is a great honour for me to witness the birth of new, promising initiatives promoted by such highly qualified partners.”
– Andrea Ghizzoni, European Director, Tencent-WeChat
Image: Rinascente
