table for us long term, but I do think in these first four years of really solid growth, I think it has been very wise for us to not invest super heavily in retail.” According to Good, Leo Lin wouldn’t have thrived in the physical retail landscape four years ago, given the post-pandemic market conditions in Australia.  However, after doing pop-ups with retail partners internationally, and realising that the brand benefited from having physical touch-points, the Leo Lin team opened a showroom in Alexandria to create a luxury omnichannel offering for customers. A showstopping showroom  The concept of showrooming, where consumers research products at the shelf and then comparison-shop for them online, was once viewed as a threat to physical retail. However, fashion brands like Leo Lin have embraced the concept and embedded it into their strategy to cater to both new and VIP customers. “We always wanted to bring in destination retail and experiential retail – we wanted somewhere where both our customers and our partners can come touch and feel the collection,” shared Good. Last Black Friday, the Leo Lin team took a pause from the online sale chaos to literally knock through the wall of their showroom in order to extend the space. “It has been life-changing for us, honestly, being able to invite clients and partners and press in for a really, truly Leo experience,” said Good.  Loyalty has levels to it When Good joined the brand in early 2022, she quickly realised that Leo Lin had a lot of repeat customers but no way to foster that customer relationship further. “We found that we had such a strong base of repeat VIP customers, and they were coming back to us time and time again,” said Good. “It was really important to me to bring in something to reward our customers,” she added. In July 2023, Leo Lin launched its VIP program, a tech platform that it customised for its unique brand and customers.  “It’s a really beautiful VIP loyalty program experience where they enter through the ground floor and they move up through the floors of the house until they reach the penthouse floor,” explained Good, referring to the program’s virtual “tiers”. Each floor in the House of Leo loyalty program unlocks different benefits, exclusive offers and access to events. “We found that we had such a strong base of repeat VIP customers, and they were coming back to us time and time again,” said Good. Leo Lin’s online loyalty platform directly translates to its offline showroom experience by inviting House of Leo VIP members into the showroom for exclusive shopping events and to pre-order future ranges. “Leo’s heritage, being Chinese, is such a core part of this brand. And you know, we’ve done really exciting, exclusive things that feed the brand, not necessarily commercially,” shared Good. “For example, we’ve done two Lunar New Year capsule collections and we’ve worked with amazing influencers in the showroom space to execute that,” she added. The loyalty program also allows Leo Lin to track its VIP’s purchases and make tailored product recommendations in its showroom, where consumers can book one-on-one appointments.  “Most of our VIPs are on a first-name basis with our client services team and the showroom was incredibly important as part of that,” concluded Good. “You can’t do VIP properly without a physical space.”