Postcards from the (Touchless) Edge©, Postcard No. 2 (ca. 5-minute read), by Alina M Hernandez and Erin Lee with Nigel Franklyn
Exploring the state of the Touchless Studio at Milan’s Longevity Suite
At the Touchless Wellness Association, we see and hear of many new concepts emerging in the sector of the Touchless Wellness spa or studio. These concepts are popping up on both sides of the Atlantic, and every day new ideas are looking to move from imagination to execution.
We were curious to explore one such concept, called The Longevity Suite; an Italian brand that boasts multiple locations in its birth place of Italy, and has expanded into Spain and Switzerland, and now has collaborations with hospitality brands as a concept within a concept.
Using as a framework our white paper on Touchless Wellness (Spa Business article), we were looking to experience and understand three key areas:
1) concept or idea,
2) the guest journey, and
3) execution.
Here are key pieces of our observations:
The Big Idea
The concept is a truly wonderful aspirational and glossy compilation of a “hybrid touchless and touch” Wellness offering that invites the customer to “Live More.” We loved the branding, look and feel with its catchy and smart tagline – and we were delighted by its merchandising that included products to support its programs such as for detox, supplementation and skin care – all at an easy reach, right in the reception area.
We had high expectations for a consumer “payoff,” with its offering categorised in programs that focus on detox, slimming, a strong immune system, energising effects, sleep and rejuvenation.
We reviewed our different menu selections and selected the Energy Boost package experience that promised to “generate immediate recovery from conditions of tiredness and fatigue.” We have been traveling a lot recently, so we thought that the Energy Boost sounded like the best way to find out what the Longevity Suite is all about.
Photos taken at The Longevity Suite, Milan.
Guest Journey interruptus
By now everyone knows that we are in the Experience Economy, and the Wellness industry is best poised to evolve how services are delivered to the consumer – then important consideration needs to be given to this part of the service delivery if a brand is to grow and succeed.
A standard definition of a Guest Journey refers to “the comprehensive path or series of interactions that a guest experiences from the moment they engage with a business until their experience concludes. This journey typically includes stages such as pre-booking, booking, arrival, stay or service delivery, and post-stay feedback or follow-up.” How this is delivered is probably the key factor to brand building, value-for-spend – and loyalty – all key to the customer experience with the brand and ultimately satisfaction.
We were missing key elements of this in our own guest journey and struggled in all of these key phases of our experience. More importantly we struggled to truly understand the “longevity” payoff and were left confused about the brand’s USP. We lacked a clear entry point, and experienced both the website and the in-site as confusing, with no clear direction or missed opportunities for upselling and true brand engagement.
Execution is the real differentiator
It has been said that execution is the real driver for success in any business. This is the part of the plan that makes or breaks success and primes the business to grow. While we fell in love with the idea, we fell out of love with the way it was delivered.
We observed some pretty big issues in terms of the execution of the experience that, all toll, created a less-than satisfying customer experience. These included poor space design; poor communications both online, and onsite; no intake (alarming especially as there was no check for possible contraindications); lack of an easy-to-understand and relatable explanation of the benefits of the treatment and the experiences with some take-home value; and the accompanying menu that initially looked good but was delivered in a lacklustre way leaving us puzzled about pricing value and outcomes.
In the end, the experience was that of any spa (longevity or otherwise). It entailed going into a room, having a treatment (both with a technology and a service provider) and with little to no innovation or excitement to the experience. In a few words, no clear differentiator.
The Bottomline
We found The Longevity Suite seems to be like many of the early adaptors in this space: a fresh new idea trying to be executed with outdated assumptions of a spa and wellness business. Much like many touchless studios on both sides of the Atlantic, ideas and branding all put aside, the real success of a touchless studio is not the technology that you put in, but the experience that you put out.
This experience needs to be carefully crafted and curated with the customer at the heart of its design – and all aspects from the beginning need to match with operational realities to deliver value and delight to the customer. And key to this success are the “instructions” for the those operating and those having the experiences.
With some thoughtful tweaking and training, this studio could certainly deliver what it aspired to be and ultimately drive a higher ROI and innovation in the wellness journey for satisfied and happy customers. We look forward to what is next on The Longevity Suite’s own journey.
Until next time, in “Touchless Synergy,”
Alina M Hernandez and Erin Lee with Nigel Franklyn
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