Hotel Chocolat, Luxury British chocolatier and cacao grower, has partnered with leading Operations Experience Management platform, parcelLab, to elevate the online customer experience, in response to the changing consumer behaviours and significant shift to ecommerce seen within the last 15 months.
Hotel Chocolat, which has over 140 stores including outlets, as well as drinks and ices cafés, a unique London restaurant with a bar overlooking the bustling Borough Market and a cacao estate hotel in Saint Lucia that sits at the heart of a 275-year-old sustainable cacao farm, is investing in the online experience for the first time having seen a substantial uplift in ecommerce sales during the pandemic, which now accounts for 50% overall. The luxury chocolatier is leveraging parcelLab’s technology to better meet the needs of the growing online audience, having recently reported now having 3 million customers on its database, an uplift of 66% since the end of 2019. This includes reducing WISMO enquiries, relieving the pressure on its customer services team, where the volume of calls has increased in line with sales. The chocolate company is also looking to parcelLab to help drive greater online loyalty through enhanced post-purchase communications, which are proven to help ease customers’ worries around delivery.
parcelLab will be working with the brand to deliver email communications to customers in addition to serving push notifications to VIP.ME customers through the Hotel Chocolat app. They will also be creating and launching a branded order status tracking page, both in web shop and on the app, which not only keeps customers updates on the status of their order but offers opportunities engage with customers in new and exciting ways, such as increasing awareness of other products, gifts or services, encouraging additional purchases, making pairing recommendations and building communities, as well as showcasing content and advise exactly when the customer is seeking it.
Martin Bell, Ecommerce Director at Hotel Chocolat says: “Despite the challenging circumstances, the last 15 months has seen our ecommerce business go from strength to strength. It has demonstrated how important it is that we continue to invest in the online experience making improvements and creating even stronger relationships with our customers. While we are delighted to welcome customers back in store, the desire for an exceptional online experience will remain, and being able to provide these through our partnership with parcelLab will prove vital in driving long-term customer loyalty.
parcelLab’s expertise and proven success rate in helping brands navigate the post-purchase experience makes them a great fit for us. They understand our business and our challenges, bring an innovative approach to solving these, and are passionate about creating positive and happy online experiences that bring us closer to our customers.”
Tobias Buxhoidt, Founder and CEO of parcelLab, says: “The past 15 months has seen an extreme shift to ecommerce, which brands have had to respond and adapt to. For Hotel Chocolat, being able to bring the magic of the luxury chocolatier experience to customers - no matter how they are engaging with the brand – is hugely importantly, and we’re excited to help them achieve this.
From being proactive in sending delivery updates to a customer who has ordered a gift, to leveraging the opportunities provided through post-purchase communications, these are critical aspects for ensuring the online experience is a positive one and sit at the heart of what we do at parcelLab. We’re looking forward to supporting Hotel Chocolat as it responds to shifting customer habits, enabling the brand to continue providing positive experiences that create differentiation, build loyalty and ultimately drive greater revenue.”