How luxury brand sales associates cultivate clientele in Japan ? / Luxury Retail Excellent In Japan　

Key Points for cultivating clientele in Japan (1) 

Go one step further!

 "To choose what you wear is to choose how you live."

Fashion (clothing, accessories, hairstyle, makeup, perfume, etc.) is recognized as a means of expressing one's "individuality" as well as expressing one's "sense of beauty".

This is why many people choose their clothes and personal belongings in accordance with TPO, considering "what kind of person they want to be" and "what kind of person they want to be seen as."

This means that, whether they are aware of it or not, the customers who visit your stores have some kind of desire to "be like this" or "be perceived as this by others."

In contrast, brand sales associates (fashion advisors) can not create value for the customer if they simply say "this is a new item" or "this is a popular item" in order to attract the customer's interest, or if they explain how wonderful our products are in a one-sided, endless stream of words. The luxury brand sales associate is not an explainer or a pushy salesman.

Luxury brand sales associates are not expected to be explainers or pushers, but rather professionals who are there to "support customers' self-realization" and "support customers' self-expression".

However, for today's millennials, appearance is not the only criterion of choice.


The word "cool" is often heard in Japan too, but "cool" does not mean simply having what is popular, but rather "knowing what fits you well and wearing it in a unique or skillful way."

If you want to be unique, but not too out of place, or too eccentric, seek advice on how to get closer to your own style.

Luxury brand sales associates are important helpers for those who are looking for a person who can give them accurate advice on how to approach their fashion needs.

Of course, there have been many customers who are particular about "color," "sewing," "style," "trends," and so on.

However, millennials, for example, are more and more particular, about things that are difficult to show, such as "eco-consciousness," "what materials are used," "what processes are used," "what policies do the brands have," or "anti-discrimination," "what's the policy of the brand to use models," "what philosophy do the brands have," etc. The number of people who are concerned about the brand's philosophy is gradually increasing here.

This means that brand sales associates are no longer required to simply know about the products in the store, but they are also required to have a solid understanding of the SDGs, their own brand philosophy, SDG activities, supply chain, and manufacturing processes, etc. 

Key points for cultivating clientele in Japan (2) 

Read the current trend and be proactive!

Of course, many brands are disseminating information about their brands on their websites and SNS, but people perceive information only in writing differently.

It can also be conveyed in a distorted way through their own filters. That is why it is also an important mission of the brand sales associates who are face-to-face with customers to correctly convey brand information and initiatives in accordance with the customer's particular needs.

Customers hold the key to whether a brand can survive beyond the changing times. Even well-known luxury brands cannot rest on their laurels in the changing environment, including the pursuit of sustainability and DX.

That is why each brand, with a sense of crisis, is trying to convey the timeless, authentic, value to the next generation of consumers through various initiatives and to deepen the bond between them.

Brand sales associates, who are in direct contact with clients, are required to read the trends of the times and be proactive in flexibly trying new things and developing know-how in the future. Although we can expect various failures and conflicts during this transitional period, we believe that the joy we feel when these failures and conflicts bear fruit will bring us a new world in which to work.


Profile of Contributor (Yasuko Fukuroi)

Consultant, Service Design Institute, Tokyo Japan.

Through consulting and training for various luxury brands in Japan, she has seen the transition of brands business, "creating brand value" and "how to create brands worldview.

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