Mercedes Abramo: “People are craving the human connection and the human experience.”

On February 29, 2024, Mercedes Abramo, Deputy Chief Commercial Officer at Cartier, spoke at the Cartier Academic Talk held at the EHL Hospitality Business School. This event, organized in collaboration with EHL, the Swiss Center for Luxury Research, and Luxury Tribune as media partner, explored the theme “The Human Factor in Luxury.” The session began with remarks from Markus Venzin, CEO of EHL Group, who emphasized the significant role of luxury retail in the careers of EHL graduates. Dr. Florent Girardin, Associate Professor of Marketing at EHL, further highlighted the convergence of luxury retail and hospitality to create immersive experiences that go beyond traditional product ownership.

During this conference, Cartier and EHL jointly announced the signing of a partnership to advance management in the luxury sector. In an era where service excellence and hospitality experiences are essential for brands in the industry, this partnership aims to leverage hospitality management principles to strengthen consumer engagement and develop innovative concepts. Cartier will be the official partner of the new luxury experience management specialization of the Master in Hospitality Management (MiHM) at EHL.

The discussion, moderated by Prof. Felicitas Morhart, founder of the Swiss Center for Luxury Research and professor of marketing at HEC Lausanne, delved into the integration of hospitality principles into luxury retail, personalized service, and the strategic use of technology. Selected excerpts.

In an interview, you once said that you have retail and service in your blood. Can you explain your perspective on the “art of hospitality” and how this infuses Cartier’s approach to welcoming clients in the boutiques?

I grew up with the codes of the retail sector because both of my parents, more specifically my father, was in luxury retailing in New York, in a department store that unfortunately no longer exists. My father instilled the service culture in me, and always told me that the client is the most important piece of the business. However, I chose to start my career in hospitality. I loved working in contact with customers, whether at reception or in service. I liked anticipating their needs and working those strange hours that you work in the hotel industry. So, when I joined retail and Cartier, I realized that the creation was the hero of everything, and the importance to balance this synergy between the product and the customer. We have the fortunate situation where people come to us for happy occasions. They are coming for celebration, a wedding, a birthday, an achievement, to mark a moment. It is, of course, important that the clients appreciate the watch or jewelry they are going to buy or wear, but it is crucial that they remember how the sales associate interacted with them and that they can continue that relationship of trust.

I can imagine that you need a lot of empathy for this job, is it something that you can learn?

Some people are probably born with it, it is inherited, whether we want to call it emotional intelligence. But I think you can learn it. The best way to achieve it is to be attentive to the people in front of you.

There is a very famous academic paper in the JCR (Journal of Consumer Research) by Morgan Ward and Darren Dahl from 2014 with the title: “Should the Devil Sell Prada?” In this paper, the researchers find that when people, clients, perceive rejection or arrogant treatment from luxury boutique personnel, they tend to buy more to restore their self-esteem – an act of affiliation with a desirable, even elitist, circle. Have you ever experienced this phenomenon and if so, have things changed?

I wouldn't wish this kind of experience on anyone. A lot of things have evolved, especially in the last few years. We've been through the pandemic, the closures, the containment, then the post-pandemic phase. Today, people are craving the human connection and the memorable experience, and we would like to contribute to the positive part.

In the 90s, the American futurist John Naisbitt once said that the more technology we have around us, the more we crave the human touch. Do you see any evidence of this?

Technology acts as a catalyst in our environment. It makes interaction more fluid. It removes friction points. Twenty years ago, we spent time writing sales down on paper. Today, technology allows us to spend more time with the customer. Consumers know that the technology is there, in support and behind the scenes; they don't come to us for that, but to escape.

You came from the field and said that you liked the connection with the clients, being in touch with the people. Do you still have time for that?

When I travel, I absolutely want to visit the shops, talk to the people, meet the teams, ask them questions about the challenges they face. It's really the part of my job that gives me the most energy, and it's also essential for being in touch with the market, the reality and the challenges on the ground. I believe that one of the most appreciated aspects of my leadership, as far as my colleagues are concerned, is the fact that I understand my teams and take an interest in them.

If you had to build a curriculum, or a wish list for universities, what would be the subjects on the menu to create a luxury mindset?

I visited the EHL campus, and I can tell you that all the different elements that the students do, for example, experiencing each part of the hotel is fantastic, because you are acquiring codes and getting the real-world experience. When we recruit talents and talk to younger people, they ask “what should I do?” I tell them that they should actually work in a store, in a hotel, experience the field. No job is too small, so having that open-mindedness to start at the bottom is key.

Can you also tell us about the specific challenges you've faced in your personal life and in your leadership?

The challenges are precisely the changes that occurred during the pandemic. The virus forced us to think differently, to adapt very quickly to a new way of working. The challenge is to entrust important roles to the right people, who you can trust and who can work independently. It's vital to determine the parameters that define the way we communicate information and the right timing. The diversity of our customers' profiles has changed so much. We've had to open the circle of our communities.

Have you noticed an evolution in the weight of the “human factor” in your role as a manager?

I think it's a process. When I was in the United States, people encouraged me to reveal who I was. I wasn't used to that, because I felt that private and professional life should be kept separate. But I realized that today, more and more employees are looking for that in their managers - they want to know who you are, why you're there, how you contribute to the world. Someone finally said to me “stop trying to be what you think they want you to be, be yourself” and that was a useful trigger. I hope I'll bring a sense of humility and sensitivity to the subject, and that I'll be able to convey that there's nothing wrong with occasionally sharing what you're feeling. We're in the realm of emotion, customers come to us to celebrate or mark an occasion, so I think emotional intelligence should be one of our superpowers.

Who is Mercedes Abramo apart from being Deputy Chief Commercial Officer?

A genuine person. The greatest compliment I can get is "she's approachable and down to earth". I find that very important.