An Interview with CXG CEO Christophe Caïs
“When a customer experience is memorable, it multiplies the client’s desire to purchase fivefold.”– Christophe Caïs, CEO of CXG
During the conference organized by CXG on October 10, 2024, at the prestigious Peninsula Hotel, Christophe Caïs, CEO of the company, revealed the results of a comprehensive study on the challenges facing luxury retail.
With striking figures and insights into the evolving role of sales advisors, the event shed light on the critical importance of these professionals in delivering exceptional customer experience. In this interview, Christophe Caïs shares his vision for redefining the role of sales advisors and the solutions needed to attract and retain top talent.
Journal du Luxe:
At your conference, you emphasized the significant impact of interactions between sales advisors and customers. In your opinion, what essential skills must a sales advisor have today to succeed in luxury retail?
Christophe Caïs:
The impact of sales advisors on customer service is both essential and substantial. However, their role is often underestimated, and advisors are frequently overlooked in the retail equation. Based on my experience, and I believe many would agree, a strong team can double performance.
Previously, a sales advisor’s role was limited to welcoming customers and making sales. Today, their scope is much broader: they manage clienteling, oversee CRM systems, navigate omnichannel strategies, and even handle stock management. Beyond these technical skills, emotional intelligence and the ability to share their passion are now indispensable to delivering exceptional service and creating memorable customer experiences.
Luxury brands have yet to fully grasp the evolution of the sales advisor role and mission, leading to some disillusionment. This upskilling must be accompanied by increased brand support to make advisors’ work easier and simpler.
Journal du Luxe:
Your study revealed that 78% of customers would abandon a purchase after just one negative interaction with a sales advisor. What concrete actions can luxury brands take to reduce this risk and continuously improve the in-store customer experience?
Christophe Caïs:
At first glance, this statistic is alarming. The reality is that customers increasingly expect to feel unique and unforgettable, with little tolerance for mistakes. When a customer experience is positively memorable, however, it multiplies the client’s desire to purchase by five.
The primary challenge lies in budget allocation. Today, luxury brands dedicate 5-10% of their revenue to marketing to drive store traffic, but very little is invested in ensuring that the customer experience matches the brand’s promise. Increasing investment in recruitment, coaching, and team development would better meet customer expectations.
Luxury brands must strive to turn customers from “advocates,” who have a good experience, into “ambassadors,” who actively promote their experience to others. This leap hinges on the impact of the sales advisor.
At CXG, we believe the retail model as we know it must be reinvented. For example, Gucci’s Soho store features “connectors,” brand enthusiasts who narrate the brand’s story and build genuine relationships with customers. They are supported by others who handle beverages, stock checks, etc. This represents the retail model of the future.
Luxury brands all have fans and true ambassadors. Why not integrate them into expert retail teams and define roles for each?
Journal du Luxe:
In the current talent shortage in luxury retail, what strategies should brands adopt to recruit the best sales advisors?
Christophe Caïs:
First of all, it is essential to ask yourself what criteria brands are currently recruiting on. I especially like to ask my customers this question: “What do you want your customers to feel when they walk into your stores?” This approach goes beyond traditional transactional interactions, such as “Can I help you?”, to focus on the overall customer experience.
Another important point is defining a compelling Employer Value Proposition (EVP) to restore the appeal of the sales advisor role. This requires aligning the role with the aspirations of the new generation. Current turnover rates indicate that we are far from achieving this.
In times of talent scarcity, brands must broaden their candidate pools. Instead of recruiting advisors who have worked for competitors, brands should seek empathy, a key quality in today’s market.
For instance, we recommended hiring nurses for one of our international clients. This may seem unconventional, but their resilience, dedication, and empathy make them ideal candidates. Of the five hired, four became top performers. Similarly, in France, some brands are exploring profiles from diverse sectors like high-end floristry, hospitality, or art galleries. These unconventional candidates can bring invaluable assets to luxury retail.
Journal du Luxe:
The report mentions that 51% of luxury retail employees are considering leaving their positions. What are the main factors driving this retention crisis, and how can brands address them?
Christophe Caïs:
The main challenges in retaining talent stem from a lack of flexibility and a work environment that fails to meet modern expectations. Brands are starting to explore solutions, such as introducing remote work for clienteling tasks or adjusting schedules based on foot traffic data to better manage teams.
For example, many stores have overstaffing during weekdays and understaffing on weekends. The sales advisor role, traditionally focused on performance metrics like sales volume or average basket size, now also demands relational engagement to deliver exceptional service. Balancing these pressures can be overwhelming for advisors, especially with the need to create a memorable experience.
The brands that stand out during a crisis are those that invest in the long-term value of their customers, build a loyal customer base and understand that relationships are not limited to single transactions. These brands are also committed to valuing their retail teams by offering attractive salaries, competitive benefits, and clearly defined learning and growth opportunities. This approach fosters loyalty among both customers and employees, creating lasting relationships built on trust.
It would also be relevant to rethink the traditional retail model by introducing greater flexibility, particularly regarding the geographic mobility of employees, to adapt to new expectations and offer a more balanced work environment.
Journal du Luxe:
Gen Z has vastly different expectations from their predecessors. What are their aspirations, and how can brands align these with their objectives?
Christophe Caïs:
To meet this challenge, the first step is to re-enchant the sales advisor profession. Today, even the most prestigious Maisons struggle to attract young talent based solely on their reputation. Hermès recently highlighted the role of the sales advisor to restore its shine. All brands must contribute to restoring prestige to this profession, embedding it within a career logic rather than seeing it as a transitional role.
Moreover, it is crucial to clarify the learning and growth opportunities within companies. Unlike their predecessors, younger generations seek clear opportunities for development to commit to a role and envision themselves in it for the long term. This can be achieved through initiatives such as creating training academies and coaching programs that emphasize personal development, storytelling, and clienteling. Brands must go beyond simple product training because, with online access to information, customers often already know the products. What they seek today is a unique customer experience.
At the same time, it is essential to address this generation’s pursuit of well-being and a balance between professional and personal life. Brands must adapt their offerings to align the role’s benefits with the aspirations of young talent.
Finally, job descriptions need to be rethought, as they are often too transactional and uninspiring. Emotional intelligence, which is highly valued by this young generation, must be emphasized.
Journal du Luxe:
With the rise of digital tools and artificial intelligence, what evolution do you foresee for the future of luxury retail?
Christophe Caïs:
With the rise of digital tools and artificial intelligence, the luxury sector is undergoing a major transformation. Data will play a key role, particularly in modeling retail performance, by analyzing the following: who to recruit, how to train and manage teams (input), and then measuring the customer experience delivered (output). While this equation has not yet been fully resolved, some brands are already working on it.
Artificial intelligence will also be an asset in refining marketing campaigns, enabling more precise audience targeting, and in recruitment, with the emergence of predictive models that better evaluate candidate suitability. Additionally, technology is evolving rapidly: we may soon see robots assisting advisors in stores with tasks such as serving drinks or managing inventory.
However, it is crucial to ensure that retail employees are involved in any decisions concerning the point of sale to guarantee that these innovations genuinely make their daily tasks easier and simplify their responsibilities. The future of luxury looks promising, driven by the continuous reinvention of this iconic industry. I am optimistic because the major luxury groups and leading brands are managed by executives with a long-term vision and the ability to take the necessary steps to ensure the sustainability of their brands.
I hope the role of the sales advisor will be elevated and recognized as a genuine career aspiration, one that is truly worthy of pride.
Originally Published in Journal Du Luxe.
Written by Sandra Robichon.
