Dover Street Market New York
POSITION: E-Commerce VIP Personal Shopper
REPORTING TO: E-Commerce Manager
LOCATION: New York, NY - Hybrid
“I want to create a kind of market where various creators from various fields gather together and encounter each other in an ongoing atmosphere of beautiful chaos: the mixing up and coming together of different kindred souls who all share strong personal vision.” – Rei Kawakubo.
Dover Street Market New York opened in 2013 – it was the Store’s third location worldwide and first in the US. Like its predecessors Dover Street Market London and Dover Street Market Ginza, it was conceived and designed by Rei Kawakubo, and subscribes to the philosophy of ‘beautiful chaos’ - the accidental synergy that results from independent minds, each with something original to say, colliding together in one space. In 2018, Dover Street Market Los Angeles opened cementing its place on the West Coast.
There are no set criteria for DSM. Both locations house all Comme des Garçons brands, and also boast a selection of designers that range from the established to the emerging, in addition to traditional products outside the realm of fashion. Designers have been given complete freedom to determine their individual brand spaces – the result being those collections as diverse as Azzedine Alaïa, Supreme, Sacai and Nike live alongside one another in an unexpected harmony.
A sense of discovery lies at the heart of DSM. Rounding out the DSM experience is the addition of Rose Bakery on the ground floor. Rose and Jean Charles Carrarini’s café is renowned for its signature fresh and natural food and is now a mainstay of DSMs around the world.
Role Overview:
We are looking for a talented sales professional to join our VIP Client Services team. The VIP Client Services team looks after some of our most valuable client relationships and offers a truly bespoke experience. As part of this client centric role, you will be responsible for actively developing key and long lasting relationships with our VIP clients, delivering an exceptional luxury experience and becoming an Ambassador of Dover Street Market New York.
Key Responsibilities:
- Actively recruit high potentials and develop VIP relationships
- Establish and manage portfolio of VIP clients
- Actively communicate and provide knowledge of products, trends and services to VIP clients
- Help define action plans for each client and identify new business opportunities
- Support team to build acquisition strategy and actively recruit high potentials
- Host client engagement activities and network at VIP events to develop potential clients
- Support store in driving a client centric mind-set
- Deliver exceptional client service
- Ensure all Dover Street Market standards are maintained
- Represent Dover Street Market as an Ambassador of the brand
Personal Qualities and Experience:
- Experience as Personal Shopper in luxury retail, hospitality or lifestyle essential
- Strong portfolio of VIP clients
- At least $1.5m sales / year
- Commercially driven
- Excellent client development and communication skills
- Deep knowledge of the luxury market
- Client centric and focused on exceptional service standards
Customer Service and Sales:
- Ensuring the very best levels of customer service at all times
- Selling, directing and driving sales
- Offering a personalised shopping and styling experience to our clients.
- Ensuring that customers are added to the DSMNY Database
- Keeping up to date with all current fashion trends and advising customers accordingly on stock availability at DSMNY
- Maintaining a Customer Book of key clientele and VIP’s
- Leading by example when it comes to follow-up and clienteling.
The Ideal Candidate
Attitude:
- A highly motivated and competent individual able to converse at all levels both internally and externally with staff and clientele.
- A total self-starter able to set the standard by their own professionalism and attitude.
- Holding and showing the capacity to shadow more junior members of staff when it comes to sales conversion. Having the ability to be an encouraging and professional mentor.
- Must be energetic, self-motivated and self-organised. Willing to do whatever is required to get the job done.
- Structured and organised, but nonetheless be approachable and have a flexible outlook.
- Willingness to work hard and always have the intention to drive the business forward.
- Being able to work on several tasks at a time.
- Being capable to work to deadlines / ability to prioritise / optimal time management.
Skills:
- Retail sales and expertise within a luxury business for at least 7 years
- Specific understanding of the Comme des Garcons Fashion House, aesthetic, consumer and sub-brands. Previous experience in selling CDG brands beneficial
- Specific understanding of all collections and stock availability at DSM
- Client book of potential new business for DSMNY as well as bringing existing clientele
- Attendance and contribution to relevant trainings (i.e. clienteling, sales development, etc) beneficial
- Language skills beneficial
- Knowledge of Retail Pro beneficial
