So in case you missed it we previously discussed the mistakes
breaks and the customers from hell, it’s
our how to guide on handling some of the most common hiccups you will encounter
as a retailer. Now one of the
most difficult and frankly frustrating questions you will encounter at some
point in your career is the “is this a
real (insert brand here) or a knockoff”. This is an issue every retailer
can and most likely will run into whether online or brick and mortar.
Now chances
are this is an honest mistake by the buyer, maybe they jumped to the conclusion
that it had to be a knockoff because of the price or perhaps they are
unfamiliar with the brand. The problem really boils down to; you know it’s real
so how do you convince someone else that it is actually the real deal. It’s a pretty
simple trick and it goes a long way towards building a level of trust and
loyalty with the customer. Take the time to explain to the customer why it is
real. But you are dealing with dozens If
not hundreds of brands, how do you become an expert on all of them? Don’t worry
you do not have to be an expert, that’s what the internet is for! There are
tons of websites that offer great pointers on authenticating consumer goods,
one we would recommend for garments is http://www.authenticforum.com/index.php
Now let’s
create a hypothetical situation, in this case let’s assume you sold a pair of
men’s Diesel jeans and your customer calls its authenticity into question.
First let’s find a guide for men’s Diesel jeans http://www.authenticforum.com/diesel-jeans/15857-how-authenticate-diesels-beginners-start-here.html
(thanks to denim god for this very comprehensive guide). Now let’s look at the
key identifiers for authentic Diesel jeans
1.Indian head on right hand side of the waist band
2. Two tags behind the Indian head
3.Indian head tag should be white or tan
4.Indian head tag will read Diesel only the brave Diesel wrapped around the head
5.Diesel jeans are made in either Italy, Morocco,
Tunisia, Romania anything else is bogus.
6.Check for the micro-stitching it should read
Diesel and not just be a shiny piece of string.
Now the key
here is to explain to the customer that yes these are the real deal and here’s
why because they meet all six of these key identification points. Not only have
you proven your point to the customer but you have also educated the customer
about how to identify legitimate Diesel jeans. Do you think that customer will
believe and appreciate the time you spent explaining this? Yes, absolutely and it’s
pretty safe to say that you may have just won a repeat customer. Yet another
takeaway from learning about how to spot a fake is you now know what others are
looking for when shopping for that particular brand. The number one way to
avoid these issues is prevention so make sure to get those close up shots of
all those tags and any other unique identifiers for that particular brand. So
in conclusion stop and take the time to educate your customer they will thank
you for going that extra mile in providing superior customer service.