143 BE FAIR142 BE FAIR MONCLER GROUP 2022
even more unique and personalised experiences through a com- prehensive technological management of stores and enabled by systems such as the Match to Traffic, which allows activities to be scheduled on the sales floor thus improving the service to clients. A digital payment service is also active at a global level, allowing pur- chases to be finalised directly on the sales floor and without hav- ing to go to the checkout, thus making the in-store experience even more enjoyable and faster. In 2022 Mobile Tax Free service was launched in France, with the aim of extending it to other countries in Europe in 2023.
The Moncler Group s omnichannel model is designed around an experience and a purchasing process in which online and of- fline coexist. A process designed for clients who follows non-lin- ear paths, that interacts with the brand in physical stores as well as in the online store and through the various digital channels, living a consistent, personalised and perfectly integrated experience while being increasingly involved in a real community.
One of the most representative examples of this transfor- mation was the Omnichannel New Experience (ONE) project, which led to the internalisation of the Moncler e-commerce chan- nel, with a gradual implementation by geographical area. Following the launch of Moncler s directly operated online channel in Korea in 2019, in 2020 the e-commerce site was internalised in the United States and Canada, ending in 2021 with Europe, Japan and China and the launch of the new full omnichannel e-commerce platform. The new platform is based on a concept inspired by the world of entertainment, ensuring smooth navigation and a distinctive expe- rience with dedicated content and services, and that will include al- so products customisation in the future.
The e-commerce site offers various omnichannel services: Click and Reserve, Click from Store, Return in Store, Exchange in Store, Pick Up in Store and Book an Appointment. Through these services, clients can manage their purchases in a flexible way, ben- efiting from the full potential of the various contact channels. It be- comes possible to reserve an item online and then try it on and eventually buy it in store (Click and Reserve), to order an item in store with the support of the Client Advisor and receive it conve- niently at home (Click from Store), to return or exchange the item directly in store, even if the purchase was made online (Return & Ex- change in Store) and even buy online and then collect the item di- rectly in store (Pick Up in Store); or, to book an appointment with a Client Advisor in store (Book an Appointment). These omnichannel services, also launched by Stone Island in Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Korea and the United States in 2021, will be imple- mented globally by 2024.
In recent years, the Distance Sale service was digitalised in Moncler to allow clients to purchase garments safely from home, by telephone or videocall, with the support of sales personnel. Mon- cler also introduced the Smart Entrance service to manage and optimise the presence of clients at retail stores. In 2022 Moncler launched a new tool to support its sales staff: Moncler Live Bou- tique, aimed at improving management of virtual appointments and distance sales through the use of external channels (including Whatsapp, Facetime, Line, etc.).
MONCLER BY ME
With the aim of making the client experience even more personalised and unique, in 2021 Moncler launched the Moncler by Me service at its flagship store on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. In 2022 it extended the service to its Milan Monte- napoleone and New York Soho flagship stores and all retail outlets offering the Click From Store service, in addition to simultaneously being launched on the e-commerce channel in Europe, America, Canada, Korea and Japan. Within this project, clients are welcomed in the store s Personalisation room, where, with the help of a digital configurator, they can choose between two models of winter outerwear, customise five areas of the garment (the inner lining, sleeves, hood and front and back of the outerwear), in addition to add the initials of their names and surnames and/or the Moncler coq. Once the personalisation experience is over, the client receives a video of the jacket as a digital souvenir before the gar- ment is delivered to the client s home or picked up at the store.
WHOLESALE EXCELLENCE Ensuring consistency and synergy between all touch points in terms of actions, communication and approach to clients is in- creasingly important to ensure a unique relationship with the Mon- cler brand. With this view, the philosophy and principles of Retail Excellence, aimed at improving the client purchasing experience and involvement in the Moncler universe, have also been extend- ed to all partners of the wholesale channel, starting with the mono- brand stores and airports.
Transferring the retail channel s best practices to the whole- sale channel required specific initiatives involving different areas of action: from in-store training to defining personalised moments with the client, to extending after-sales services, to consolidating client service activities, to integrating all the information useful to identify stores, to communication.
Starting in 2020, Moncler revised its wholesale channel dis- tribution policy, adopting a selective distribution system aimed at guaranteeing compliance with strict qualitative and quantitative criteria and at maintaining a positioning consistent with the Brand. Compliance with these criteria is necessary both to join and to re- main within Moncler s distribution network, and aims to ensure the alignment of all distributors with the Brand s image, prestige and reputation in addition to a high level of service to the client. Oth- er requirements include specific rules on the presence of other brands sold by the distributor, the type of premises, how products are showcased, the space allocated to Moncler products, person- nel skills and type of packaging.
Stone Island historically attributes a strategic role to the wholesale channel, through which consolidating long-lasting part- nerships built on trust. Wholesale partners are regarded as brand value ambassadors, client advisors and hold the role of enhancing Stone Island s image.
There are several training moments, during which informa- tion on company philosophy, product and collections characteris- tics are shared.
Over the years, the Company has assigned greater prestige to its products due both to a selective approach in the choice of wholesale clients and to the numerous activities aimed at strength- ening the brand experience, in offline and online channels, for ex- ample through visual merchandising courses, the organisation of dedicated events and marketing activation initiatives. In line with this approach, each season, product newsletters, editorials, and digital materials on the brand s products, history and philosophy, are shared with some clients, and effective experiential brand com- munication initiatives are implemented at retail stores to ensure partners alignment with Stone Island s image and positioning.
Stone Island s return and repair policy ensures that clients can return garments both to monobrand stores and to the whole- sale channel, in addition to the opportunity of benefiting from a ded- icated repair service. Where repairs require complex procedures, the garment is picked up and repaired at the Ravarino (Modena) workshop, while for simple repairs, Stone Island provides a kit to the wholesale partner so that the process can be carried out at the store. Every stage of the relationships with partners ensures a con- stant contact with client care, attentive to any issue.
Moncler and Stone Island also periodically subject their busi- ness partners to audits carried out by both the personnel of the two brands and independent third-parties to verify the management of the Brands and compliance with service and quality principles in accordance with the ISO 9000 standard.
UNDERSTANDING AND FULFILLING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS Listening to clients is a fundamental strategic activity to offer a ser- vice that is increasingly aligned and consistent with clients desires and expectations. The VIBE project, adopted at a global level by the Moncler brand and set to be implemented by the Stone Island brand during 2023, involves the systematic collection of feedback from local clients after each purchase through a quick questionnaire that analyses, on a scale of satisfaction from 1 to 5, various aspects of the experience, including hospitality, personalisation and service.
The objective of the project is to identify and redress any cas- es of dissatisfaction, but above all, to support and focus the Client Advisor on getting to know clients even more so as to establish a long-term relationship.