Susana Goldin-Douaire of Bonjour Baby Baskets on How To Create A Fantastic Retail Experience That Keeps Bringing Customers Back For More
It is absolutely essential for any e-tail business to offer great customer service. In the world of e-commerce, it really helps to elevate the customer experience by bringing that human touch when engaging with customers. This makes a big difference and makes them want to come back.
As part of my series about the “How To Create A Fantastic E-tail Experience That Keeps Bringing Customers Back For More”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Susana Goldin-Douaire from Bonjour Baby Baskets.
Susana is the owner of Bonjour Baby Baskets, an online boutique that specializes in premium baby gift baskets and luxury baby gifts. The story of Bonjour Baby Baskets started at the dinner table where a conversation with her kids turned into a business idea. After years working in the corporate world, and as a mother and grandmother, Susana knows that slow fashion and good quality baby products are timeless gifts that will be treasured by colleagues, clients, friends, and family.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
About 10 years ago I was entrusted with the task to find a special gift for a VIP client that just had a baby. It needed to be exceptional and unique, a gift that would show the appreciation we had for this client. I searched the internet extensively and I couldn’t find a baby gift that could stand out from others. I ended up buying something cute but not extraordinary. I mentioned to my children during a family dinner my experience and how I wanted to offer extraordinary baby products and that is how Bonjour Baby Baskets started.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
We started our business very small. At first, we prepared and photographed only 12 curated luxury baby gift baskets. To my surprise, we sold out in a matter of days. As a new small business owner, I initially felt uncertain of how my business would be received. My takeaway was I knew I was offering something unique, so I should feel confident that my vision would be successful.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I am lucky that my children and their spouses work in marketing and web design. Their help was invaluable when it came to setting up the website, creating the first marketing tools, as well as launching social media and advertising campaigns. I received lots of assistance from them at the beginning and I don’t think that I would have been able to launch my online business successfully if it was not for them.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
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Girl on Fire by Cara Leyba. I love this book. The perspective of how women collaborate with each other instead of competing and how successful entrepreneurs don’t wait for their big break but create it really resonated with me.
I also really enjoyed The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose by Oprah Winfrey. It’s a truly inspirational book about finding your purpose in life and honoring that calling.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I believe that exceptional customer service and excellent product quality is what sets us apart. We have a high rate of returning customers and most of them tell us that the uniqueness of the products we offer, together with great customer service, is why they always come back.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Being organized and establishing priorities every day is a must. Being a small business owner doesn’t allow you to work a traditional 9 to 5, but you can set up a routine based on your priorities.
This might be intuitive, but I think it’s helpful to specifically articulate it. In your words, can you share a few reasons why great customer service and a great customer experience is essential for success in business in general and for e-tail in particular?
It is absolutely essential for any e-tail business to offer great customer service. In the world of e-commerce, it really helps to elevate the customer experience by bringing that human touch when engaging with customers. This makes a big difference and makes them want to come back.
We have all had times either in a store, or online, when we’ve had a very poor experience as a customer or user. If the importance of a good customer experience is so intuitive, and apparent, where is the disconnect? How is it that so many companies do not make this a priority?
I can’t make assumptions for other businesses, but in our case, providing an exceptional customer service experience has helped us in growing our small business.
Can you share with us a story from your experience about a customer who was “Wowed” by the experience you provided?
Yes, I recall a couple that contacted us because they wanted to send a special baby gift to their first grandson, who was born in Europe. They didn’t know what to send or how to send the gift. They also wanted to add a lovely hand-knitted blanket that they made for him. We customized their gift with products chosen for their quality and practicality with some cute additions for play time. We specially prepared the packaging so it would be easy for them to include the hand-knitted blanket once they received our baby basket. When it came time to ship, we provided them with several options for various couriers. We were also in contact with them on the phone to assist them during their shopping experience.
Did that “Wow! Experience” have any long term ripple effects? Can you share the story?
Absolutely, they were so impressed with our customer service that they left an amazing review and recommended us to family and friends.
A fantastic e-tail experience isn’t just one specific thing. It can be a composite of many different subtle elements fused together. Can you help us break down and identify the different ingredients that come together to create a “fantastic e-tail experience”?
It all comes down to a personalized customer experience. In a fast-paced world where you can buy many things at the click of a button, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of personal interaction. I believe that providing that personal interaction will create a fantastic e-tail experience.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a fantastic e-tail experience that keeps bringing customers back for more?
1.- Good quality products
2.- Innovation
3.- Amazing customer service
4.- Consistency
5.- Personalization
Thank you for all of that. We are nearly done. Here is our final ‘meaty’ question. You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Say, “thank you” often and volunteer a bit of your time every year to any cause that is close to your heart.
How can our readers further follow your work?
https://bonjourbabybaskets.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bonjourbabybaskets/
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
