Fortnum & Mason has teamed up with Proximity Insight to launch Fortnum’s Connect, a new clienteling platform designed to elevate personalised customer experiences across its retail teams.

The platform provides store teams with a real-time, centralised view of customer profiles, helping them deliver more informed and personalised service on the shop floor.

“Exceptional customer service is part of our DNA at Fortnum & Mason and it’s something we’ve been extremely proud of throughout our history,” said Sean Ghouse, Director of UK Retail at Fortnum & Mason.

“Fortnum’s Connect is a modern take on something retailers have been doing for many years, which is knowing and serving our customers through clienteling,” Ghouse added. “With Proximity Insight and their support we’re launching Fortnum’s Connect… allowing every single team member, across every floor and every single store, to be able to give that brilliant service… and connect and talk meaningfully to customers.”

Built on Proximity’s clienteling technology, Fortnum’s Connect gives retail teams instant access to customer insights, including preferences, purchase history and recommendations, enabling tailored interactions with greater speed and consistency.

The partnership reflects the growing importance of clienteling in modern retail, as brands look to create more personal, consistent and commercially impactful CX.

“It’s the relationship building that going to get customers to want that personal contact at Fortnum’s. We are a heritage brand, but our clients do expect a level of digital contact and accessibility to a brand,” its Retail Trainer, Kathryn Sidwell, said.

Lisa Wainwright, Digital Transformation Director at Fortnum & Mason, added that the deployment was the luxury retailer’s “first digital capture engagement in-store.”

She said the solution would be launched in high value, high contact areas of its stores where customers want to spend more time and build relationships with colleagues. Longer term, she said the platform would be used to blend Fortnum & Mason’s customer journeys across hospitality and retail.

“Fortnum & Mason is one of the most recognisable names in British retail, with a heritage built on exceptional service and customer relationships,” commented Cathy McCabe, CEO of Proximity. “We’re giving store teams the tools and insights they need to deliver that experience consistently at scale.”

“By bringing everything into one place, colleagues can focus on what matters most: building meaningful customer relationships and creating exceptional experiences.”

Looking ahead, Fortnum & Mason’s Digital Transformation Manager, Eve Bravin, added that the move into clienteling was part of a bigger investment push into retail tech by the luxury retailer, having recently rolled out a new workforce management tool and digital receipt solution.

Last year, Fortnum & Mason also invested in q-commerce capabilities, adding rapid delivery to its fulfilment offering in partnership with Zapp across a curated selection of its F&B products.