It’s fair to say that we’re consumer obsessed at Levi Strauss & Co. Our Levi’s® store teams around the world don’t just help consumers find the perfect pair of jeans — they embody the best of Levi’s® through their own outfits and style, bring our values and strategies to life, and meet our fans exactly where they are.
Nowhere is this consumer-obsessed mindset more apparent than in Japan, where our retail teams live and breathe the Levi’s® lifestyle every day by curating perfectly tailored shopping experiences, sharing style tips and creating fashion statements that spark inspiration both in-store and online. Lately, they’ve been reaching new service heights thanks to some digital innovations.
An Interactive Fashion Experience
One powerful way our Japan teams are connecting with and inspiring our consumers is through STAFF START, a dynamic platform that brings together fashion-forward associates from top brands, including Levi’s®. Retail associates from all 30 of our owned-and-operated mainline stores in the country can use the platform to share their love for the Levi’s® brand by posting outfit snaps, reviews and videos — all of which are then showcased on levi.jp and allow consumers to explore and purchase featured products with a simple click. Data collected can then be used by our teams to further curate the perfect shopping experience for Levi’s® fans throughout the region and continue to enhance the Levi’s® experience.
Tsuruta-san, Staff of the Year
We know our Levi’s® teams are best-in-class, and this summer, they proved it on the big stage — STAFF START’s STAFF OF THE YEAR competition, a multi-round contest where sales associates around Japan vie for the title of top sales associate in the country. This year’s competition culminated at the Tokyo International Forum, where finalists showcased their service skills through a 1-on-1 real-time consumer service role-playing “battle.”
Our Levi’s® teams were strong contenders at this year’s competition, with 10 of our associates advancing through various stages of the contest.
Among them, Tsuruta-san from our Lalaport Tokyo-Bay store took center stage, placing 14th out of 85,000 participants. Tsuruta-san’s exceptional commitment to engaging consumers online and boosting digital sales — posting an impressive 425 snaps and reviews this year — earned him a well-deserved place among the top contenders in the competition.
For Tsurata-san, the competition only strengthened his love for the brand and our consumers.
“When I watched the final last year, the finalists inspired me to share the joy of fashion and how great the Levi’s® brand is,” he recalled. “Throughout the competition, consumers who came to the store gave me positive comments and encouraged me.”
He added, “Thanks to all the consumers and Levi’s® team members who supported me!”
