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Strategies to Build Luxury Talent in Evolving Markets


The rapid evolution of the Indian luxury market is both exciting and challenging. Global luxury brands like Galeries Lafayette and Saks Fifth Avenue are entering India at an unprecedented pace. This expansion raises a crucial question: Where will these brands find the talent to deliver a tailored yet globally consistent luxury experience? Unlike mature markets, India is still building its foundation of luxury professionals—those who not only understand the technical aspects of high-end products but can also create deeply personalized, emotionally resonant customer experiences. As Indian luxury shoppers become for demanding, I believe the biggest challenge ahead is developing a skilled talent pool to meet the surging demand for stellar luxury service.


Bridging the Knowledge and Empathy Gap

When I began my career in luxury retail nearly two decades ago as the Retail and Education Manager for L’Oréal Luxury, India’s luxury landscape was still in its infancy. Many sales advisors were experiencing luxury for the first time and customers were less exposed. Training content from Paris needed adaptation and simplification, starting with something as fundamental as quizzing advisors on France’s location on a map. More critically, we had to bridge the empathy gap—luxury products were often financially unattainable for sales advisors, making it difficult for them to relate to their affluent customers. At the time, luxury brands operating in India relied on European leadership to instil brand heritage. While I was a certified behavioural trainer, I was fortunate to undergo immersive luxury training in Paris, experiencing firsthand the meticulous attention to detail that defines luxury service. This experience shaped my approach to training—transforming luxury from an abstract concept into an emotional, immersive experience for sales professionals in India.


Creating Transformative Learning Experiences

Despite conservative training budgets in the early days, we focused on maximizing impact through creative, experiential learning that brought our sales advisors closer to the customer's world, as well as demonstrated what a luxury experience encompasses. The investment in shaping a luxury mindset—rather than just skills—proved invaluable. As the sales team developed empathy for the customer, their ability to engage the customer grew and we could measure the positive impact on sales. I was determined to find a management tool that provides a formal framework to what I believe is the most critical skill when it comes to delivering a great luxury experience - empathy. And so I pursued a Master’s in Service Design, that indeed gave me tools like customer personas and customer journey mapping, that were a perfect addition to traditional training. I today combine behavioral skill training with service design methods to transform how luxury professionals approach customers.


Key Learning Actions to Build Luxury-Ready Teams

As luxury brands establish themselves in India, here are five proven learning strategies they can deploy:


  1. Embed: Find creative ways to teach your team the brand basics and immerse them in the Brand DNA, until it becomes second nature. If sending a large sales team to the Brand Headquarters for an immersive experience is not feasible, invest in sending key stakeholders, such as sales and training heads, so they can effectively convey the brand story and passion to their team. Create interactive e-learning programs and share emotionally inspiring videos from the brand headquarters to bridge the gap. Provide access to your products, so your sales advisors can actually convey passion and relate with the customer.


  2. Experience: Luxury needs to be felt, and most sales advisors may not have had access to luxury experiences organically. Ensure training events provide an immersive luxury experience—design them like a well-crafted customer journey. From event teasers and personalized invitations to choosing a brand-appropriate venue, dress codes, goodie bags, elegant menus, and impeccable service, meticulously plan every detail. Show what it means to have an eye for detail and what it feels like to be pampered. When the employee experience reflects the same values of personalized care and high human touch that a luxury customer experience should embody, employees are more likely to pass those values forward to customers.


  3. Empathize: Stimulate ways to bring sales advisors closer to the customer’s mindset. In the classroom, use collaborative visual tools like customer journey maps and build customer personas with the team. Incorporate Indian specific personas in role-plays during training sessions. Outside the classroom, find ways to put sales advisors in the shoes of the customer—send them as mystery shoppers, have them observe customer interactions, and reflect on how the customer might feel in those moments.


  4. Establish: Create a strong luxury service culture by establishing clear protocols that balance the brand DNA with local customer expectations. Communicate customer experience expectations with detailed brand protocols that not only reflect the brand’s signature service but also empower sales advisors to adapt them to diverse luxury clientele. In more evolved markets, you can assume that the sales advisor will naturally build rapport with customers. However, in newer luxury markets like India, it’s better to be specific about expectations—such as asking the customer a question or using an empathy statement. Specificity helps new-to-luxury advisors navigate customer interactions with greater confidence, and expected behaviors are more likely to be executed.


  5. Engage: Building luxury retail capabilities requires ongoing effort and rigorous project management. Establishing clear brand protocols with customers is just the first step. These standards need to be continuously taught to the team until they become ingrained habits. Build a robust training calendar, including follow-up training, measurement of customer interactions, individual evaluations, coaching, and rewards. Reward their ability to understand and convey luxury, not just their sales achievements. This approach ensures that the luxury customer experience becomes more than just a feeling—it translates into tangible actions that advisors are expected to take.


The Road Ahead for India’s Luxury Market

The success of luxury brands in India hinges on their ability to cultivate a well-trained, emotionally intelligent sales force. By embedding brand DNA, offering immersive luxury experiences, fostering empathy, setting clear service standards, and investing in continuous learning, brands can ensure their teams are equipped to provide unparalleled customer experiences. The evolution of luxury in India is about more than just brand expansion—it’s about shaping a cultural understanding of luxury service. As the market continues to expand, luxury training programs must move beyond traditional product training to develop a mindset that reflects the sophistication, exclusivity, and emotional connection that define luxury.


About the Author


As a Luxury Customer Experience Specialist I work with brands worldwide to help them design and deliver signature experiences. I have a business degree from Tulane University (US), a Masters in Service Design (Italy) and several behavioural training certifications. As an expert in the field for over 20 years, I combine human centered tools like cross functional workshops and customer journey mapping with selling and service skill training to embed customer empathy and a service culture within organisations. Having worked with global brands like Lancôme, Zegna, Diesel and Nespresso and home grown brands D'Decor, Regal Shoes and Colorbar across India, the Middle East and Europe equips with rich and nuanced understanding about the Luxury Customer Experience.

If you want to improve your brand's service, enable your team to sell deeper and create implementable and scalable customer experiences that provide measurable returns get in touch with me.


 
 
 

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