Farrow & Ball hires digital specialist for CX makeover

Upmarket paint specialist Farrow & Ball is aiming to boost its customer experience strategy by adopting a set of location-based digital tools which offer a 360-degree customer view as well as multichannel communications through email, SMS, and WhatsApp.

The company, which offers what it describes as a “carefully curated palette of 132 shades” has signed a deal with Proximity – not the now-defunct Omnicom agency but a retail digital marketing company launched in 2014 that specialises in personalised advertising and marketing content.

The firm uses technologies like Bluetooth beacons, wi-fi, geofencing, near-field communications (NFC), and QR codes to target potential consumers with ads based on their current location.

Farrow & Ball will use the “Retail Super-App” technology to connect and streamline appointment booking, customer journey management, data capture and customer communications.

Proximity has integrated a global appointment booking solution for Farrow & Ball Colour Consultants across multiple regions for both in-home and virtual consultations.

It is not known how the appointment will affect the brand’s relationship with Kin + Carta, which was appointed in 2020 to upgrade its digital strategy following an online sales surge triggered by the Covid home improvements boom.

Farrow & Ball global head of retail Rebecca Gleave said: “We are delighted to have launched Proximity for our Colour Consultants and retail teams globally. Proximity gives us the ability to interact with our clients at every stage of their colour consultancy journey and we are looking forward to realising the commercial benefits that Proximity will bring.”

Proximity chief executive Cathy McCabe added: “We’re thrilled to partner with Farrow & Ball and empower them to continue to provide exceptional customer services. Our tools will help them to inspire their customers with personalised experiences and a seamless customer journey, while improving operational efficiency within their teams. It’s an exciting step forward for both companies.”