Relationship experts always claim that it is ‘the little things that count’. It’s the attention that the Yuppiechef team, Paul Galatsis, Andrew Smith and Shane Dryden pay to the ‘little things’ that make the online retail company stand out.
Borrowing a tagline from US online shoe retailer, Zappos, the owners like to think of Yuppiechef as a ‘customer service business that happens to sell kitchen tools.’ For the creative trio, running a business is about treating people well and delivering fast. “This is just normal business for us, but so few people are actually doing it, that it makes customers freak out,” says marketing director, Paul Galatsis. He adds: “If your business offers crap service and a crap product it’s going nowhere.” If someone has a great customer experience, they will tell more people about it, and the increasing popularity of social media is driving this more than ever before.
Yuppiechef never fails to impress customers by doing things a little differently. It took three months for the company to make its first sale, and when it happened the owners wrapped the product and sent a handwritten card thanking the person for their order. While this was an almost knee-jerk reaction, to this day Yuppiechef sends all orders wrapped in customised paper with a hand written note and a quirky badge or fridge magnet. Yuppiechef doesn’t charge for delivery and sees this as a marketing expense.
Paul believes engagement with its community of fans is the company’s primary reason for existing. The company posts regular blog and social media entries as well as sending out electronic newsletters filled with cooking tips, product reviews and updates about the company’s movements.