One main location working hard to attract Chinese tourist spending during this year's Golden Week was the UK, where luxury retailers have been striving to do everything they can to make sure the country optimizes its Chinese visitor numbers.
Recently, Clare Rayner, retail expert at The Retail Champion appeared on Bloomberg's "The Pulse" to discuss the importance of Chinese customers to UK luxury retailers and what stores are doing to ensure repeat visits. According to her, Chinese tourists are absolutely necessary to retailers: "I was speaking to a retailer only this morning who said that they couldn't live without the Chinese spend… they buy lots of high-end leather and cashmere goods; they love the natural fabrics; they love the expensive products and they almost never buy from this particular brand on sale," she said.
In addition, she discusses the reason why UK retailers are making such strong efforts to attract Chinese travelers by providing Chinese-speaking staff and specialized products. "If you're an up-end retailer and you pride yourself in delivering the ultimate in service, and these customers are spending literally thousands in every transaction, and they keep coming back, and they tell all their friends and family, you want to give them the best possible experience," she states. "It's a small price to pay, really, compared to the value that those customers bring to those retailers for that brief period of time."
Watch the video embedded above for more insights into luxury retailers' practices when it comes to Chinese tourists.