Saks offers online shoppers the human touch

Saks Fifth Avenue is offering personalized service from store associates to customers beyond the confines of the store.



Partnering with personalized e-commerce technology provider Salesfoor, Saks is letting online customers create customizable Saks.com boutique pages. The pages contain personally curated assortments of Saks merchandise, accessible through a dedicated URL.



As a result, store associates can connect with customers online and offer the same type of personalized service they would normally offer in-store, via live chat, email or scheduled appointments. In addition, Saks associates can showcase their online storefronts to customers through email and social media tools built into a mobile app.



"This is a highly personalized online solution to selling, merging our highest trafficked channel, Saks.com, with our highest converter, our associates," said Marc Metrick, president, Saks Fifth Avenue. "It is the perfect response to the growing demand for consumer-facing technology. With access to associates 24/7, personalized services and more, we finally have the ability to bring the high-touch Saks experience and store environment online."



No amount of automated personalization, even when using sophisticated algorithms, natural language interfaces or other business intelligence tools, can fully duplicate interaction with a live human being. This is part of the reason physical stores remain by far the biggest driver of omnichannel profits.



By using connective technology to deliver a seamless experience that blends digital convenience with brick-and-mortar personalized interaction, Saks is truly entering “omnichannel” mode.