Luxury home appliance store lets customers test-drive showers

Pirch is a high-end home design store, which offers customers free gourmet meals and instore shower test-drives.

The average customer experience when buying home appliances is at best an over eager shop assistant, and at worst a trawl of reviews online. But upscale retailer Pirch wants to change all this by creating the first luxury home design store complete with free gourmet meals and instore shower test-drives.

Inspired by high-end fashion and jewelry stores such as Tiffany and Gucci, Pirch’s clients are served by ‘lifestyle experience advisors’ who prioritize intense customer service, making a visit to their flagship store in Costa Mesa, California more akin to a visit to a luxury car dealership than the nearby Home Depot. Customers can enjoy a complimentary coffee or even a full meal, cooked by one of the chefs working in the kitchen section, while browsing USD 47,500 ovens. They can also test each and every water faucet at a huge circular sink in the middle of the store. About five customers a month go all out and test the showers. Pirch also include delivery and installation with all purchases.

Could other areas of the retail industry up their customer experience to lure luxury shoppers back in store?