Tuesday 20 March 2012

Harrods



Everyone sing along now........
"Nobody does it better
Makes me feel sad for the rest
Nobody does it half as good as you
Baby, you're the best"



This Carly Simon song absolutely sums up Harrods' approach to Social Media. 

I joined Twitter in January 2010 and Harrods was one of the 1st accounts I followed.  Straight away they followed back.  So this just goes to show that this high-end luxury store absolutely understands the power of customer engagement.


For me, Harrods is the ultimate social media benchmark.  They follow back, they interact, they respond straight away (including weekends when most stores sign off, bearing in mind retailers take around 50% of their revenue on a Saturday and Sunday) and they tweet frequently about all store events without ramming it down your throat - without a full sales-pitch.  Their competitions, like them, are luxurious too.

They are not only the absolute leaders in Social Media, they are at the forefront of social engagement for all aspirational stores.

No other stores come close - whether high-end or not.

I remember back in September 2010, Harrods got wind it was my birthday (that may have had something to do with my "T Minus Birthday" countdown that lasted 2 weeks on Twitter!).  I was heading to London with my 2 sisters and my Mum to have a girly day and take arrrrfternoon tea at The Dorchester (adopt Tara PT type voice!).  Harrods invited me to store asking me to head to their customer relationship department.  There they gave me a £30 gift card as well as some other gifts in a giant green and gold Harrods bag.  I was absolutely blown away!  I think this was for always talking about them on Twitter and praising them for their Social Media skills.

On another occasion, I was on the hunt for a new bag.  I wanted to replace my Fendi one, so literally within hours, I had the Fendi department manager on the phone taking my requirements.  She then saved me the bag until I went to store at the end of that week.  It transpired that the Fendi bag was not to my liking (mainly because it was coated suede, and I wanted a robust leather one to use every day.) However, Fendi could not do enough for me. 



Fendi Big Mamma shoulder bag (I wanted the black one)

I decided upon the Mulberry East West Bayswater as this was more the style and material I wanted.

Mulberry East West Bayswater
(A "What's In My Bag" post to come soon!)

I was at one point pondering a Balenciaga City bag in pink.

Balenciaga City Bag
Straight away, without asking, Harrods sent me links proactively with all my style / design options.   This level of customer service and engagement is just unrivalled, and exemplary.

They also sent me pictures of the YSL tribs (in pink - of course!) that I was lusting after!

YSL Tribute Patent-Leather Sandal
Now don't get me wrong, Harrods clearly want me to spend my hard earned cash in their store. But with exceptional customer service like this, I would not want to spend it anywhere else!

What do you think about Harrods' Social Media engagement and other stores on Twitter?
Would love to hear your comments!

Sending fabulicious pink love,

Kate x

p.s. For the record, I do not work for Harrods, am not paid by them or affiliated with them in way.  I just thought that after 2 years of being exceptional at Social Media, they deserved a mention!

9 comments:

  1. Cannot agree more.

    I ALWAYS hold up Harrods as a shining example of great social media, they INTERACT, they take the time to give great service and are one of my favourite to follow on Twitter.

    Like the store they have class and finesse and showed me great kindness in my week from hell last week.

    *disclaimer* I am not in anyway affiliated with Harrods and this comment was provided as a free sample as a gesture of goodwill


    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Katy,

    We just wanted to say a big thank you for this wonderful feedback. We thoroughly appreciate all of the support we receive from our followers and hope that you will continue to enjoy engaging with us in the future.

    Have a great evening,

    Harrods

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And there I rest my case Harrods! You comment within minutes of blog post publication. Take. A. Bow x

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  3. Is this the Harrods fan club? If it is, I'm in! xxx

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    Replies
    1. Indeed! You had a great experience right with your Chanel bag?! They are just super dooper xxx

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  4. Totally agree. Harrods made our first Christmas with H so special by arranging for him to see Santa as a VIP, we will never forget it. Santa also gave him a huge teddy bear which he adores. The staff are wonderful, a lady cleaning asked if she could help me when I got lost and the counter staff are just outstanding. Their social media sets the benchmark in my opinion. Xx

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    Replies
    1. That's great that H was treated like a VIP! And yes agree xxx

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  5. I couldn't agree more.. they've really set the benchmark high. x

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