Fragrance shops need websites too
25th of August 2006
I must admit, I have a thing for bespoke fragrance shops. Like Angela Flanders in Shoreditch and Jo Malone on Threadneedle Street in the City of London. The way the fragrances make you feel, it makes you want to bring all of them home with you and use them for every mood your in or want to be in.
Even the visit to the beautiful shops that are always decorated with such sophistication and "feeling" makes you want to have your own place transformed into a little sanctuary full of nice scents. This, however, isn't always the case. I have the fortune to live in a city were these shops are established but for many of my equals who don't have this luck there is only one way for them to get a piece of what I am experiencing, namely through visiting the shop's website! This, of course, isn't the only way for customers to "get to know" the shop, it's also about the shop's will to get to know their customers and to give them a tiny piece of what a customer inside the shop experiences. The fabulous scents are, alas, not transferable across the Internet yet, but the shops could, and some of them already have, use their website more efficiently.
Since the beginning of my London stay I had promised myself that I would buy a scented candle for my new flat or some luxurious skincare. I had done my research on the Internet in hope of being well prepared when I entered the shop. The design on Angela Flanders website isn't the best but it's functional. You can find descriptions of the fifteen different scents the candles are available in. I even wrote down the ones I was interested in. There was also an offer on the website saying that buying one candle costs £19.95, buying two candles costs £33.00. What a bargain! Normally these candles are £38.00 for one!
Elated, I decided to go there. Turns out, to my big disappointment, that the prices weren't accurate. When I asked for the white flower scent the shop assistant told me that they hadn't been doing it for ages. Furthermore, the shop assistant and Angela Flanders were more interested in each other than in my needs. Despite this disappointment I decided to buy a scented candle for £22.50. Not a good start on my bespoke scents shopping but the next stop was Jo Malone. I've been passing by the shop on Royal Exchange every day on my way to work and was taken back by the fact that there were always customers in the little shop.
I took a deep breath before entering it and as soon as I was in the shop one of the shop assistants asked if I needed help. A bit shy I told here a just wanted to have a look at the candles. After a while I asked the shop assistant for the skincare package I've read about on the website. She told me everything about the creams and serums and even let me try some on. The information I got in the shop matched up with what I saw on their website. I quickly decided I wanted one of the skincare packages. While doing the bow on the beautiful shopping bag she asked if I had five minutes to spare and offered me to show me the fragrances and give me a hand and arm massage for free. I delightedly said yes! The massage was absolutely fantastic and the shop assistant was so nice. After having the massage she wished me a safe trip home the next day and emphasized Jo Malone's website. Walking on cloud nine, so to say, with less in my wallet but good smelling arms and hands I knew I would return this I can't say for Angela Flanders.
So what am I trying to say here? Well, websites are essential for all kinds of businesses even little fragrance shops. We need them to do our research, to find out about the company behind the site and sometimes we even need them to do our shopping done through. Angela Flanders doesn't have updated prices, information or an online shop on her website; Jo Malone on the other hand, has both!