Nothing beats the entire sensorial experience of shopping.

Now that mobility is back, all the exquisite items that we longed for during the lockdown are here for us to appreciate again. Though, in reality, they never left.

Michelle Suarez, head of marketing communications of the SSI Group, the country's largest retailer with an established brand portfolio that includes some of the world's recognized brands, recently graced Daily Tribune's Pairfect show to talk about luxury retail this holiday season and why online shopping is here to stay.

Daily Tribune (DT): Which luxury brands are known to be terrible at e-commerce because traditionally, in the luxury brand segment, the in-store experience is kind of what SSI is all about, right? So how did you merge that with e-commerce and maybe the tactile value of being in a brick-and-mortar story?

Michelle Suarez (MS): I'm sure you know we're used to it, especially if you're purchasing something of value…whether it be a bag or a piece of jewelry. You want to touch and feel the merchandise first. But thankfully enough during the pandemic, we were able to actually launch our multi-brand e-commerce site called trunc.ph. It is the home of most of our brands; even our luxury brands are on it.

We saw that despite the closure of our stores at the time, we were seeing people, especially our customers, being more at ease with luxury shopping in the online space. There is that awareness, I guess, and recognition from our end that our shoppers now have also become diverse in how they consume brands and how they actually have access to it. It broke that barrier that used to be there. But, of course, experience in the stores is also very important. That's why we try to bring that kind of customer experience that we are actually known for. We are known for excellent, exceptional customer service. We also try to bring that in the online space.

DT: How do you make that possible?
MS: Well, to begin with, you have to be present at all times even if it's 24/7. It's quick, it's real-time. You have to be fast to respond. These are the things we made standard when you respond to customers, when you try to facilitate the returns and exchanges. Whatever their experience is with their brick-and-mortar stores in the offline space, we also migrate that, and try to deliver, and offer also in the online space.

DT: You don't think or believe that there is a gap between the digital world and shopping luxury?
MS: Not anymore. But we believe in the "phygital." It's the physical and digital world working harmoniously together and really complementing, and providing customers whatever they need, wherever they want to consume it and however they actually want.
We needed to adapt to them and whatever platform they felt comfortable in, whenever they wanted to consume us as brands; we had to be present there.

DT: Did that change your operations a bit? You were trying to transform into digital shopping.
MS: Thankfully enough for the SSI Group, we were very bold enough to launch trunc at the height of the pandemic. We actually launched it in November 2020. The reason for the success was also because we had, at the time, brands that have e-commerce sites. In a way, culturally, the organization was in the right space. We were used to e-commerce. It was easier. We also had to, of course, shift not just the mindset but even what we are expecting of our workforce. Some roles had to be adjusted and introduced. Digital selling also to our store personnel that were used to actually selling face to face.

DT: One thing that online shopping did is that you're more thoughtful because you have time to browse through the merchandise, the category. Maybe that was one thing that was one of the benefits, the silver lining of online shopping.
MS: Our online store site, trunc.ph for example, became like a digital catalog for our shoppers for the offline space. We would get some customers who would show a screenshot of the products that they want. Like, "Can I get this here?" It's retail whether it be in the offline space, in the physical space, or whether it be in the online or digital space. That's what we are very proud of.

DT: What about in terms of the online sales volume? Was there a great impact or is it because you were able to navigate so quickly, the online volume of sales didn't matter that much?
MS: It contributed very well. Actually, we just released our earnings for the first year. Our online sales are already contributing greatly to the total sales of the SSI Group. That's an indication that, indeed, online is there to stay and, of course, not to mention the activity we're getting already in the mall. You mentioned that earlier so everyone is back. Everyone is doing a favorite pandemic term which is "revenge."

DT: Speaking of your online sales, do you believe that this will be a huge part of your revenues in the future?
MS: As I've said, it's really "phygital" retail. So, it's having a presence in the digital space. I think, for a company like ours, we were heavily entrenched in the offline space, the physical space. We had over 600 stores nationwide, from Luzon all the way to Mindanao. In terms of offline retailing, SSI really is the leader in that. Being able to also have a very significant presence online, presenting customers with brands that they like and they love from the malls that they frequent, and presenting it also in the online space — having that good balance, I think, has allowed us to still be quite successful in what we do.

DT: Tell us a little bit more about trunc.ph. You carry a lot of different brands, and each brand has its own personality or character. How do you translate that into an online shopping platform?
MS: In trunc, we have four shops. We call it the four online boutiques. So you have the Trunc Show where we house our luxury brands in SSI Group. So you can shop from Alexander McQueen, Burberry, and even Bottega Veneta. We also have a Powder Room which is where we house our beauty items. We also have a Trunc At Home, another category that is very successful during the pandemic. That's where our home brands are.

DT: How do you see the future of online luxury?
MS: It's here to stay. Filipinos are already in a prime position to be consuming luxury in the digital space. Thankfully, there are really platforms now through which you are able to get your luxury fix online. We are very proud of trunc because it has the authenticity attached to it. That's something you have to be careful of as a shopper getting your fix online. You go to a reputable source that will assure you of authenticity and value attached to it.

DT: How do you think technology's transforming luxury shopping?
MS: In our case, it's very important that we have to provide our customers with an omni channel experience. That is one thing that we continue to drive within the group wherever in terms of consumption, let's say of brands and of content. It's consistent whatever the platform is. Some people will be more comfortable to be on a certain platform than others. Likewise, also with the e-commerce space for us. We like to say that whether it be physical or digital, it's already there. It's presenting our brands, making sure that when customers want to consume brands, whether it be in the physical or digital space, it's consistent.