Why Brands Like Victoria's Secret Focus On Giving The Customers An Exceptional In-Store Experience

What do you think is the real secret behind the success of Victoria’s Secret? As a multi-billion dollar name in the fashion industry, this organization enjoys its position among the most successful fashion brands worldwide. There are more factors than their catalog of the highly sophisticated yet extremely functional line of intimate wear behind their success. 

Read on and decode the secret behind the success of popular brands such as Victoria's Secret.

What is the business model of Victoria’s Secret, and why does it stand out?

A customer who thinks about Victoria’s Secret thinks about two aspects primarily:

• Products: Without the products they have to offer, this brand would not have made it thus far in the fashion industry. Their catalog of products offers value to customers in more ways than the sophistication associated with the brand name. Victoria’s Secret combines innovation, sophistication, and the success of their world-famous fashion shows to drive their sales. Victoria’s Secret offers functional and aspirational value to its customers. The designers at Victoria’s Secret give importance to making products that appeal to a wide variety of customers in terms of function. The products launched at the fashion shows are also launched to the public, adding to the aspirational value of the brand.

• The in-store experience: Most customers are unaware of the work that goes into making Victoria’s Secret their preferred brand of intimate wear. They do not have to think about it. This is because of the real secret behind the soaring sales figures that Victoria’s Secret continues to achieve consistently. The factor that endears the brand to its customers is the exceptional in-store experience offered by Victoria’s Secret. The brand offers an unparalleled in-store experience that no other lingerie brand can offer. The in-store experience offered by Victoria’s Secret sales outlets can only be described as luxurious.

The products and the in-store experience combine to make Victoria’s Secret an unbeatable success. But if we have to pick one reason only, it has to be the in-store experience. It is a masterful strategy that the brand has used to its advantage. How? Let’s find out.

What is special about the in-store experience at Victoria’s Secret outlets?

Here are some aspects of the in-store experience that make Victoria’s Secret a customer favorite while boosting their sales figures and driving their business forward.

• Store design and product placement: All company-owned outlets of Victoria’s Secret follow a plush design that borrows all its features from the Victorian style of architecture. The posh features of the store design are augmented by the black and pink colors that are used inside the stores. The overall experience of visiting Victoria’s Secret sales outlets is all about luxury, a treat to the senses, and comfort. The stores are also designed in such a way that the customers do not think about the payments until they have experienced everything the store has to offer. As the customers proceed to the payment counters that are strategically placed well inside the store, they are made to feel comfortable while they take in the sensory treats that the store has to offer. The posh colors, the products with great functional and aspirational value, the line of perfumes and fragrances are all placed in such a way that the customer enjoys each moment they spend inside the stores. The trial rooms also have an important role to play. Trial rooms are designed to offer maximum comfort to customers. Customers are impressed by the line of products and the sensory treat offered by the store by the time they reach the payment counters.

The strategy behind the store design has two advantages to offer. From the customer’s perspective, a normal purchase of intimate wear is transformed into an unparalleled experience that they cannot get enough of. As for the store management, the customers who are impressed by the experience become regulars and drive up the sales figures.

• Customer-friendly sales force: The only other thing that can parallel the comfort and the sensory experience offered by the store design is the sales force that is extremely customer-friendly. Victoria’s Secret employs and trains its associates to provide maximum customer comfort. Unlike a salesperson at a regular lingerie store, the sales force at Victoria’s Secret sales outlets is trained to be friendly but not too friendly. They are trained to respect customer privacy and their personal space at all times. They are trained to respect a customer’s boundaries while suggesting products to them or while introducing them to various promotional offers they have to offer. The job of a sales associate at Victoria’s Secret is never fixed. It constantly evolves to meet customer requirements. 

The sales force at Victoria’s Secret outlets has an important role to play in delivering the in-store experience the brand has to offer. Good customer service on the part of the sales force brings the brand closer to the customers while maintaining a healthy space. These factors, when combined with the store design, high-quality products, and the attainable price points, drive the sales figures forward while maintaining a great public image and amazing customer relations.

• Better experience than the online store: Victoria’s Secret has a second sales channel which is a centralized online store. While it offers all the products that are available at a sales outlet, the website is designed to offer a more passive shopping experience. Although it is easy to navigate and easier to end your purchase with only the products a customer wants, it eliminates the overall comfort and luxury that a store purchase has to offer. This factor urges regular customers to keep visiting the sales outlets instead of making online purchases.

Victoria’s Secret strategically created a stark difference between the online store experience and the in-store purchase experience. The passive experience of the online store accounts for a smaller portion of the sales figures, while the in-store sales figures form the major chunk. Victoria’s Secret does this by strategically placing its products in the overall extravaganza of an in-store purchase. While offering unparalleled luxury and comfort, the in-store experience at Victoria’s Secret sales outlets entices customers with multiple products that catch customer attention while they shop for what they want. 

• Availability of fashion launch products: One of the most powerful sales tools in the brand’s arsenal is its line of fashion launch products. The designs launched at the famous Victoria’s Secret fashion shows are directly launched into the market. The aspirational value attached to these products drives the sales figures. When combined with the luxury and comfort of an in-store purchase, sales figures for all products are boosted.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the factors which make Victoria’s Secret their customer’s preferred brand are the sophisticated yet functional products with great aspirational value. Victoria’s Secret has successfully utilized the fame their brand has achieved through its immensely successful fashion shows all over the world. Victoria’s Secret has used its fashion shows as a platform to market its brand image to the world. This attaches sophistication to the brand name, building aspirational value. 

Recently, the brand has started paying additional attention to inclusivity and body image positivity by launching products for all body types and using models of multiple body types that all customers can relate to. The value created by these initiatives is enhanced and channeled directly to the customers through the unparalleled in-store experience offered by Victoria’s Secret. The in-store experience combines the value of the products with a luxurious and comfortable shopping experience which endears the brand to its customers. This not only builds the customer base but also pushes the sales figures. In short, the secret behind the success of Victoria’s Secret is that it has managed to create and deliver value to its customers. 

Visit the Fashinza online store to experience the “Victoria’s Secret” effect. Fashinza is an Indian B2B apparel manufacturing platform. Very much like Victoria’s Secret, Fashinza is focused on bringing value to its customers. Fashinza does this by connecting apparel manufacturing brands with suppliers. Fashinza makes the entire process hassle-free by monitoring the entire production process from design to delivery. Fashinza streamlines the entire process by incorporating ordering, tracking, and communication into a single e-commerce platform.