Hermès Le voyage d'Hermès
About The Project
"Le Voyage d'Hermès" is an innovative digital solution aimed at collecting unique customer feedback through a gamified experience, offering an alternative to traditional mystery shopper insights while maintaining the brand's luxurious discretion.
Date
Janv. 2021
Role
Product Designer
[ View Website ]
Brief and challenge
To offer a solution to Hermès, to collect customer feedback in a discreet way. The real difficulty is the « Hermes compatible » aspect, because Hermes is a company with a certain standing, it refuses to be too direct or to communicate on certain media.
There is a real challenge for the brand, especially with the pandemic. Making access to the shop impossible, a thorn in the side, because it is the heart of the customer experience and significantly increasing orders on the site.
So there is a double challenge, to be able to take the temperature of the customers in the shop, but to propose a solution applicable to the web.
On the other hand, Hermès has a very efficient mystery visit network, but it is not regular enough to have a daily feedback.
Methodology and Tools
We were able to better understand the vision of most of the customers. But above all the dissonance that can sometimes exist between Hermes and its customers.
It was also important to see how other luxury brands handle this feedback. Thanks to interviews with salespeople from other shops, we can see that Chanel salespeople have discussions with their customers via what apps, allowing them to feed back information. Louis-Vuitton salespeople confirm the same practice in addition to a dedicated app.
In addition to the interviews, the creation of personas, which will evolve into an archetype and an experience map, will allow us to better understand the frustrations, but above all the contact points.
Conceptualization phase
We are keen to include in our problem the notions that characterise the experience of a customer in a shop. Firstly, there is the product: how can we strengthen the link with our customers through the product?
The second element is the salesperson/customer relationship. This relationship is at the heart of the sales experience, and we wanted to integrate it into our problem.
Continuous Dialogue through Digital Engagement
Idea: Implementing a system for continuous communication between sales staff and customers using digital tools, like messaging apps or social media, to foster a closer relationship and enhance the customer experience.
Challenge: This approach was not pursued as it conflicted with the brand’s core principles. The brand values exclusivity and personal interaction, and the perceived impersonality of digital communication was deemed incompatible with the brand’s ethos.
Vendor Return Feedback System
Idea: Establishing a feedback mechanism where salespeople can report on customer interactions and experiences, providing valuable insights for improving service and product offerings.
Challenge: The main obstacle here was the lack of time among sales staff to participate in such a system. Given their busy schedules and the high demand in-store, dedicating time to provide detailed feedback was impractical. Additionally, the complexity and resource requirements to set up and maintain this feedback system were considered too great in relation to the anticipated benefits.
Enhanced Salesperson-Customer Interaction
Idea: Revamping the sales process to create a more personalized and engaging customer experience, possibly through targeted training programs for sales staff in areas like emotional intelligence and customer service excellence.
Challenge: This initiative was seen as too logistically complex and not entirely aligned with what the brand envisioned for its customer service model. The logistical challenges of implementing such a widespread training program, coupled with uncertainty about its alignment with the brand’s strategic direction, led to this idea being set aside.
The solution
Le voyage d’Hermès
Once on the web page, the user is invited to start the adventure and roll the dice to advance. With each square the user crosses, they have the opportunity to come across a square: Fun fact, Did you know or a
mini game. Each box reveals a card related to the world of Hermes, with anecdotes
and humour, in order to keep the game fun and discoverable.
The questions, anecdotes and mini-games are linked to: history, know-how, art and exclusive content. In addition, once the activity is completed, the card is turned over to give the answer and ask the user a question that allows for customer feedback.
The duration of a game is estimated at about 6 minutes, or about 3 to 4 squares before reaching the end of the epic. The game ends with an invitation to leave one’s impressions (about Hermès) in a guestbook, before continuing on the site to discover the new collection.
