Mariel Sholem is the person dedicated to the elite buyers in the world! Private plane, dinner with Donatella Versace. This is her world.
You are standing in the Sistine Chapel, marveling at Michelangelo's ceiling, recently refreshed. The room is almost empty and the crowds of tourists do not look nowhere. You are just you, your guards and your personal buyer from Saks. This may sound like a dream, but it is exactly what Mariel Kriss Sholem and her team do. She is the director of SaksFirst Limitless, the premium rewards program for the largest shopper buyers in the world.
Sholem is positioned in Saks's new five-star restaurant on L'Avenue. She is wearing a Sara Battaglia dress, Chloé bag and Loeffler Randall shoes. On that morning in Italy, dressed in red Louis Vuitton, a SaksFirst Limitless customer entered the historic church early in the morning before anyone else was allowed. "Wow, we can do everything to happen," says Sholem. By becoming a customer in Saks, you seek sustained loyalty. Because this privilege comes after you have made dozens of site visits throughout the year, and you are on the verge of six digit spending.
To put this into perspective, base-level consumers spend up to $ 5,000 a year. Three levels away are Diamond status members, who spend nearly $ 25,000 a year or more. Both of these programs include a reward system based on the points you have accumulated for each dollar you spend.
SaksFirst Limitless Program is like Diamond's essence in essence. It is such an exclusive membership that it has been rarely promoted and its experiences have not been published so far. In another life, Sholem could have been a politician. At Emory University, where she completed international studies, everyone felt that she would work in government or in the field of laws. After college, concentration on marketing led her to the world of advertising agencies.
It did not happen until the day she joined Chanel and stayed there for the next seven years. "As soon as I started in Chanel, their world of luxury and the idea of attracting a client became something that I was fascinated with," she recalls.
Now, she manages the coordination and execution of these personalized fashion experiences. In secular terms, it means to offer the best to top buyers. Its days include lunch at L'Avenue in Saks, the newly opened restaurant within the sideways visit of Saks Fifth Avenue, to support the philanthropic efforts of different customers. Throughout the year, she does a colossal job all focused on the fashion world.
Every day is different, because every experience is tailored to a unique customer. "It's not really a full access and we appreciate the invitations to the program based on a set of criteria," Sholem insists. On average, about 150 to 250 invitations are sent in one year. To date, only 300 Saks buyers are part of the program.
An annual expense of at least $ 100,000 is not the only requirement to become a SaksFirst Limitless Member. Clients are also selected based on their interests in fashion experiences and luxury brands, as well as their relationship with sales associates.
"A healthy obsession and a desire for beautiful jewelry always help," says Sholem. Fashion fanatics swim in Carolina Herrera, Valentino and Chanel that run in a store like Saks, spend millions of dollars in clothes, shoes and accessories in a routine way. These are Sholem's customers!
Source: Harper's Bazaar
