News & Trends: According to figures based on the latest WealthSurvey study by NY-based independent luxury market analysts, the Luxury Institute, high-end consumers prefer Burberry and Louis Vuitton in providing the best “in-store customer experiences.”

That is the conclusion drawn based on an analysis that measured input provided from 78 handpicked mystery shoppers. The veiled high-end consumers are students of Professor Veronica Manlow’s Fashion Marketing and Research Methods course, which is taught at Brooklyn College. The 78 students made a total of 240 visits to various department stores in NYC.

Merchandise, service, and store atmosphere were top criteria the group used in deciding whether to recommend a store. Burberry and Louis Vuitton scored in the high 70s across the board, with LV edging out Burberry 77 to 74 percent. The mystery shoppers also reported that Burberry staffers made them feel comfortable on 94 percent of visits, while Louis Vuitton’s employees accomplished it only 76 percent of the time.

Making customers feel special was also a key point of the study, and, apparently, a harder nut to crack, as Burberry achieved it 52 percent of the time, while LV did it 42 percent of the time.

“Stores are the frontlines of luxury retail and this is where luxury brands can do some of the greatest good or ill for their reputations,” says Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. “Putting polite, informed and well-groomed sales personnel on the floor is just the start, but done well it can be a true differentiator.”

Visit the Luxury Institute’s Web site for more information.

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James Rothaar

James has written content for Justluxe.com and other leading online luxury lifestyle magazines. Rothaar previously served as the senior-tenured staff writer for JustLuxe, having worked with the digital magazine since 2005. He resides in Jacksonville, Florida, and works as an independent marketing consultant and freelance writer and copywriter. He is the co-owner of Wild Owl Digital, a boutique mar...(Read More)