This week I visited one of our world’s most iconic shopping locations for the first time in our “post lockdown ” era. It’s over three decades since I first adorned my Harrods name badge as part of the team on the launch of the Estée Lauder Companies Prescriptives brand’s custom-blend. I’ve long admired this stores’ commitment to excellence in customer experience over the years as a consumer as well as a supplier and was very keen to witness first hand how consumers, brands and very importantly how the in-store teams were fairing in this new world. Here’s what I found;

• Consumers were shopping in smaller numbers than I’d consider pre lockdown at Christmas.
• Queues were being well managed in the cafés, food halls and everything experience based.
• In some departments there were more employees than customers and experience was distinctly lacking, sadly this included much of the ground floor’s beauty halls.

1. Educate, support and recognise our sales associates on a journey to becoming experience ambassadors.
2. Seamlessly connect consumers’ physical and digital shopping experiences. There’s a significant opportunity for IOT and emerging technologies to play an important role here.
3. Brands and retailers must unite to enable a new level of consumer confidence omni-channel. How wonderful does Harrods’ door 5 looks celebrating 100 years of the iconic Chanel No 5.