WHAT IS A TOPSHOP ACCOUNT CARD?

A Topshop Account Card is a large part of the service we offer which helps to differentiate our Brands from other stores on the high street. You should be motivated to talk positively about the card and ensure that customers are fully aware of the services it offers, and offer the card at every opportunity.

In this blog is all the information you will need to make sure you are confident when speaking and offering the card to customers.

                            

DEALS THAT COME WITH THE CARD.

When a customer signs up for the Topshop Account Card, it will more than likely be the deals that come with it, that sway the customer to get one.
These are the deals that come with the card:
+ You get a free £5 gift voucher with your first statement.
+ You get 10% off your in store purchases on the day if you are spending over £40.
+ You get 15% off your in store purchases on the day if you are spending over £80.
+ You get 10% off the first week of Sale.
+ You get a 10% off voucher on your birthday.

These deals are useful as they will re-enforce a positive message about the card. For example:

Customer - "I already get 10% off with my student card"

You - "Yes but with a Topshop Card today you get the 10% off as well as...[deals]"

WHERE YOU CAN USE YOUR CARD.

You can use your Topshop Account Card in many other stores, as they are all owned by Arcadia.
These stores are: BHS, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit, Wallis and of course Topshop and Topman.

WAYS TO PAY.

There are many different ways to pay off what you owe on your Topshop Card:
+ Come into any Arcadia store and just pay off what you want.
+ Pay online at www.santandercards.com
+ Phone the Customer Helpline and simply pay over the phone by direct debit.
+ Set up a standing order through your Bank or Building Society.
+ Hading in the Payment Slip that comes with your statement to your Bank or Building Society.

KEEPING AN EYE ON YOUR ACCOUNT ONLINE.

A customers Topshop Account is easy to track and manage online. They just sign in and can keep an eye on it. This is a good thing to tell customers if they say they are "no good with store cards".

FAQs.

When a customer signs up for a Topshop Account Card, you should let them know that if they have any problems or enquiries they can simply go to the Topshop website and there is a long list of FAQs that should answer any question they are probably wondering about.

PHONING THROUGH THE ACCOUNT CARD.

You can minimize time spent on the phone when putting a Topshop Account Card through, by becoming familiar with the account forms. Get to know the order of questions, so even if the phone line is weak and you cannot hear the person on the end clearly, you know what question they have asked.
+This will help not to wind the customer up and make them change their mind about the account because "it's taking too long"


It also saves time by learning the phonetic alphabet so when you are asked to 'spell' something out over the phone, you can use this alphabet to spell things clearly and understandably.

Alpha

Bravo

Charlie

Delta

Echo

Foxtrot

Golf

Hotel

India

Juliette

Kilo

Lima

Mike

November

Oscar

Papa

Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango

Uniform

Victor

Whisky

Xray

Yankee

Zulu

When I first started at Topshop I thought it would be impossible to learn this alphabet, but over time, and practice, you will easily remember it!

EXCUSES EXCUSES.

Customers will more than likely tell you 'No thanks' when you offer them the card initially. There are common 'excuses' they will give you for not getting the card, here are a few of them and how you can re-enforce the positive message of the card.

CUSTOMER COMMENT...
"I haven't got any time"
"I'm in a rush"
"It takes too long"


YOUR ANSWER...
"The Topshop card only takes a couple of minutes to fill out, I just need some details and then it takes about two minutes to phone it through"
"It's worth taking a few minutes of time to get the card as you're saving money and getting free offers"


CUSTOMER COMMENT...
"I don't want to get into debt"
"I'm no good at store cards"
I have too many store cards"
"Another shops' store card messed me around"


YOUR ANSWER...
"The Topshop Card is easy and simple to manage. You can come into any Arcadia store and pay it off in bits, or all at once. You can even pay over the phone or by cheque. You can find out how much you owe at any point in the month by calling the account card help line and by managing your account online on the Topshop website. You also have about 2 weeks to pay it off after your statement arrives, so there is no rush"


Hopefully this will make the customer open up to the idea of a Topshop Account Card, and in the long run, make them sign up for one in store.

PRIORITY AREAS TO BAG ACCOUNTS.

There are many key spots in store where accounts can easily be gained. These areas may be account friendly due to the price of items being sold in that area, the close contact you have with the customer, or even the time you're able to spend on customer service in that area.

Here is a (very) rough sketch I have done of the shop floor at our Kingston branch. Labelled are the priority areas for getting customers to sign up for Topshop accounts. 1=Highest priority and 6=Lowest priority. These are the reasons why I have chosen these priority areas...

(1) SHOES
Shoes are usually some of the most expensive items we sell. Excluding hanging shoes they usually range from £40 - £100, and seeing that the customer can get 10% off their shopping if they spend over £40, and 15% if they spend over £80, the account card will usually seem attractive to potential shoe buyers and may sway them to buy the shoes seeing that they could get money off.
(2) FITTING ROOM
Customers usually try on many more clothes in the fitting room that they are willing to buy. Because you are in very close contact with them and they may ask you for advice etc, you can casually drop information about the account card into the conversation. For example...
Customer - "Ohh I don't know what to buy, I like all of these items"
You - "You could get 15% off with a Topshop Account card if you wanted to get them, then it wouldn't be so much to pay". And you get a free £5 gift voucher, so you'd be saving a lot!"
Complimenting the the customer also helps them to want to buy the items they are trying on.
(3) JEANS [denim]
Because we sell so many styles of jeans and different fits, customers browsing jeans will more than often need help with what they're looking for. Customer service is needed all over the store, but will be much appreciated in denim. Start by asking the customer open questions, such as "Is there anything in particular you were looking for?"and so on. Open questions allow the customer to elaborate on their answer, instead of giving a simple yes or no answer.
(4) TILL POINT
The till should not be seen as a main area to offer the account card as The Brand encourage teams to be creative in their service approach to ensure the customer is informed of the service experience the card offers throughout the store. A good time to ask about the account card is when telling the customer how much their shopping comes to, as you can tell them how much money they could get off with the card etc. If they're not spending over £40 you can always tell them about the other offers they're entitled to, such as the free £5 gift card, the 10% off the first week of sale and the 10% off birthday voucher, as they may be interested.
(5) SERVICE
No matter what area you are put on in store, you can should provide good customer service. This could be just approaching customers and asking if they need anything, or picking up on someone looking at a certain item, and being able to comment on it and the trend it's in, or what would go with it etc. The account card can always be dropped into conversation somehow.
(6) FRONT OF STORE
The front of the store is mostly where you will find people just coming into the store, or leaving, so I put it was the lowest priority for accounts. Just be welcoming and friendly when people come in, this will make them more at ease to approach you while they are shopping. There is obviously also a trend at the front, so use your service skills to sell the account card.


Hopefully this has given you a better idea of how to get people to sign up for the Topshop Account Card, and you will feel confident trying to sell it no matter where you are in store.