A conference attendee asked me last week what my most recent and best customer service experience was. I mean a game changer that was truly different and memorable. It was actually easier than normal to answer as my wife and I just shopped a retailer we had not been too previously in Oak Brook, Illinois called Pirch.
If you want to sip on a perfectly made latte, relax in a steam room or taste perhaps the best risotto ever to reach your mouth, there is no need to go out to a fancy resort; all you have to do is visit a Pirch store.
Think of Pirch as a kitchen, bath and outdoor appliance retailer that picks up where Home Depot and Lowe’s leave off.
When you enter the store, you are greeted at the Bliss Café where you can get fruit infused waters, tea or coffee. Oh yes, and it’s all complimentary. I even asked for an iced-coffee and they made it for me without blinking an eye.
Soon after we had a beverage in hand, it was the amazing smells that took over. We stopped by the showroom where they had chefs cooking delightful food on the actual cooking appliances they were selling. Just think, you can watch culinary delights being made in store on the devices that you are thinking of purchasing.
They also offer complimentary weekly classes with their in-house chefs. All they ask is that you make reservations in advance and limit your RSVP to once every 60 days.
Their strategy is brilliant – to let shoppers test the different products that they offer by twisting knobs, turning on working shower displays, enjoying some complimentary food and engaging them in a low to non-existent sales environment that makes the shopping experience a joy. And it’s working. Their CEO, Jeffery Sears, says shoppers spend an average of two hours and 11 minutes in the retailer’s stores with some of them posting sales greater than $3,000 per square foot, which only a handful of retailers can claim.
What is truly unique is Pirch is able to deliver this experience but still price match any competitor’s quote. They also offer three years of “bumper-to-bumper” protection against any appliance manufacturer or installation defect. No fine print, hidden costs, or toll-free numbers to nowhere. If there’s a problem, it’s covered through Pirch. If that is not enough, they don’t outsource critical installation services and pride themselves on delivering a PIRCH-level experience whether it’s in the showroom or your home.