Maybe it's because I have seen what exceptional customer service looks like from the same branded stores in Mall of Asia and Alabang Town Center, that is why I was recently saddened by how I didn't experience what I had been used to in their branches in Robinsons Manila.

Last November 2020, I read an article in the Business Section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer entitled, "For shoppers to return, retailers must offer omnichannel, memorable experience." It quoted Mr. Tantoco. Said he:

"We're trying to immerse ourselves in the lives of our customers. We're trying to understand what their new, unmet and undeserved needs are. Once we understand that, we convert that into insight. We're realizing that the way we present ourselves, the way we approach fulfilling those needs has to change."

To them who might care enough about this review and what it means, I offer yet another article I read in cyberspace last April 2020, by a certain Daniel Langer. Wrote he:

Quote: "Luxury brands often forget over time that they are in the business of creating strong emotions. If a brand doesn’t create an extreme emotional response for its customers, then the brand can’t create extreme value — and the luxury business is all about extreme value creation.

"When we analyze unsuccessful luxury brands, a common aspect is a lack of emotion. Brands tend to rely too much on their history or product features and neglect the necessity of touching people’s hearts.

"An emotional response happens when something excites us — it’s as simple as this. No one likes to be bored, which is why luxury brands always need to question everything they do while embracing creativity, artistry, and inspiration. If a brand loses the ability to innovate and inspire, it cannot excite. And then it becomes irrelevant, loses its cultural importance, and starts to decline.

"Given the importance of emotion, a brand strategy needs to define exactly which specific emotion it should evoke. There must be zero uncertainty about how the brand inspires. In many brand audits, this is a major weak point we identify over and over. Most managers are able to place their brand into the correct category but can’t describe the precise emotional elements of their brand (hint: an answer like “we are selling a dream," should worry you.) All luxury brands should “sell a dream.” That statement doesn’t differentiate or guide the consumer. Brands must be dramatically more precise.

"A perfectly planned emotional strategy won’t be relevant if it only exists on paper. After a brand defines its emotional story, it needs to plan a highly-detailed customer journey, so that customers can feel these emotions. A brand is only as strong as the excitement it creates for people.

"So ask yourself: Is your brand evoking an emotional response? Is your brand strategy based on the psychology of luxury? If your answer isn’t clear, you need to act — and fast — because a brand is relevant or it isn’t. If a luxury brand doesn’t offer pure emotion, then it isn’t offering any value, and if there is no value, there won’t be sales. The time to wake up and act is now." End quote.

Actually, a retail store or even a food outlet inside Robinsons Manila does NOT have to be a luxury brand. If a store or a food outlet CAN NOT EXTEND "customer engagement," or "customer care," or even the simplest "customer service," the question is:

WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT FOR SALES PERSONNEL TO BE JUST NICE TO CUSTOMERS

or

TO JUST SHOW CUSTOMERS THAT THE SALES PERSONNEL ARE HAPPY TO SEE CUSTOMERS?