"Not Everyone Can Afford This: Inside the World of the True Top 0.1% [Luxury World]"

Beyond Valet Parking: Travel and Fine Dining

Department Store VIP Strategies Evolve into Ultra-Personalization

VVIP Lock-In: Expanding Premium Experiences Beyond Shopping

Lotte Department Store offers premium services to its VIP Avenue customers, including accommodation and course meals at Cosmos Ulleungdo Villa Somme, a domestic luxury resort. The photo shows the exterior view of Cosmos Ulleungdo Villa Somme. Photo by [Photographer].

At a luxury resort on Ulleungdo, where a night's stay costs as much as 2 million won, VIP guests can enjoy a private Japanese course meal prepared by renowned chef Jung Ho-young, paired with wines selected by the department store's sommelier. This luxury travel package, which includes touring the island in a BMW, is an exclusive program for Lotte Department Store's VIP customers.

The "VIP program" in the domestic department store industry is evolving. Previously focused on services within the department store, such as valet parking, exclusive lounges, and discount coupons, it is now expanding into "ultra-personalized experiences" encompassing travel, gourmet dining, culture, and wealth management. As "Very Important Person" signifies, department stores—who consider these customers their most valuable patrons—are working to segment their top-tier clientele even further, aiming to deliver "more exceptional experiences for fewer customers."

According to the department store industry on May 17, Lotte Department Store completely revamped its VIP customer program, "AvenueL," earlier this year. Lotte Department Store offers "AvenueL Points" based on customer tiers, which could previously be used for shopping or hotel reservations.

However, the newly launched "AvenueL Curation" program is now organized into six categories: Stay, Cuisine, Life, Wellness, Store, and Charity. The program stands out for its focus on high-end experiential content such as gourmet dining, lifestyle, and wellness. It has significantly expanded the options available for lifestyle experiences—including luxury hotels, fine dining, golf and leisure, and premium shopping—using AvenueL Points.

Lotte Department Store collaborated with Signiel Seoul to host a gala dinner by Michelin 3-star chef Yannick Alléno exclusively for its VIP AvenueL customers at Signiel Seoul Stay (photo).

Lotte Department Store Offers Customers Personalized Birth Flower Art and Gold Cards

Last month, as part of its "AvenueL Curation" gourmet program, Lotte Department Store hosted a gala dinner with Michelin 3-star chef Yannick Alléno in collaboration with Signiel. According to a representative from Lotte Department Store, "All seats for Chef Yannick Alléno's gala dinner sold out within five days of opening reservations, demonstrating enthusiastic customer interest," and added, "Buoyed by this response, we are continuing to develop various experiential programs exclusively for our VIP customers."

Additionally, Lotte Department Store has partnered with Standard Chartered Korea to offer wealth management and financial consulting to AvenueL (Lotte Department Store VIP) customers, as well as private classes with the renowned "Stephen Riding Club," recognized as one of the world's top 100 equestrian academies. Other services include one-point golf lessons by KPGA Tour professional Park Kyungjun, premium barber shop services for male clients, tea ceremony and meditation experiences, and more.

The exclusive perks for top-tier AvenueL Black customers have also been enhanced. These include personalized gifts featuring hand-drawn monthly birth flowers by professional artists and new cultural invitations that combine fine dining with performances. AvenueL Black is the highest VIP tier, limited to just 777 members, who also receive a gold card emblazoned with the "Black 777" emblem.

Lotte Department Store's premium wine venue, 'CMB Wine Experience'.

"Every Second Counts"... Shinsegae VIPs Get Fast-Track Access to Chanel and Louis Vuitton Stores

Shinsegae Department Store is also integrating travel content into its VIP strategy. Through its luxury travel service "Via Shinsegae," the company offers premium travel packages that, while available to general customers, count the full amount spent toward department store purchase records. Shinsegae has also launched a private membership program for its top-tier VIPs called "The THINKER'S TABLE," inviting members to dine and engage in intellectual community gatherings with leading scholars and mentors in Korea. Additionally, through partnerships with Shinhan Financial and Woori Bank, Shinsegae provides VIP wealth management services, thereby bringing the customer experience deeper into the department store ecosystem.

In particular, the top-tier Trinity VIP membership at Shinsegae Department Store is limited to 999 members. Trinity members enjoy priority access to Chanel and Louis Vuitton boutiques without waiting, making it an "exclusive benefit for the true top 0.1% of department store VIPs." Because both Chanel and Louis Vuitton have strict brand policies, even department store VIP customers seldom receive such privileges. Whereas general customers must register for on-site waiting lists at these boutiques, Trinity members can enter through a separate VIP-only route by reservation, enjoying immediate access regardless of time or queue.

Trinity members at Shinsegae Department Store also receive unlimited parking at all locations, exclusive parking zones, valet parking, and priority vehicle retrieval. They are invited to private events held on store holidays and receive access to private shopping sessions with select luxury brands—a true "department store within a department store" experience.

At Centum City branch, while general VIPs must descend to the underground parking lot, Trinity customers enjoy a separate route allowing direct valet parking at street level—completely segregating VIPs from other customers.

From Luxury Shoppers to Private Parties at Shilla Hotel

Hyundai Department Store is also focusing on customer lock-in by offering differentiated services exclusively for VIPs. This year, the company launched a new top-tier "Jasmine Signature" membership above the previous highest "Jasmine Black," offering exclusive benefits such as priority valet parking at all branches, luxury concierge services, exclusive content, and private events.

Since 2023, Hyundai Department Store has invited around 600 VIP customers annually to private parties at The Shilla Hotel. This year, a flower-themed gala lunch and dessert course befitting the spring season were presented. The company also offers "Companion Plant Subscription" and "Flower Subscription" services, delivering air-purifying plants and orchids, among others, to VIP customers' homes.

Louis Vuitton Store Appearance

To enhance the shopping experience for VIP customers, Hyundai Department Store provides a "luxury concierge service," where a personal shopper accompanies clients to offer styling suggestions and personalized product information. However, this service is currently available only at the Apgujeong Main Store and the Trade Center Store.

Hyundai Department Store is also enhancing experiential content. It offers travel programs that include one-night, two-day golf rounds and hotel stays, overseas hotel vouchers, as well as premium hotel whisky tastings and whisky pairing dinner courses. VIP benefits such as lounge access, discounts, and personal shopper services are also available at partner department stores in countries like Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Macau.

From the second half of this year, the company plans to further strengthen premium, personalized services by introducing an exclusive lounge for its top-tier VIPs.

The reason department stores are investing heavily in VIP marketing is that VIP customers are accounting for an increasingly large proportion of overall sales. At Lotte Department Store, the share of VIP sales rose steadily from 41% in 2023 to 45% in 2024 and 46% in 2025. At Shinsegae Department Store, VIP sales increased from 44.1% in 2023 to 45.3% in 2024 and 47% in 2025. Hyundai Department Store also saw VIP sales rise from 41% in 2023 to 43% in 2024 and 46% in 2025.

The push for ultra-premium experiences also stems from a sense of crisis facing offline retail. As online platforms compete mainly on price and convenience, "experience" is emerging as the key differentiator that only brick-and-mortar stores can offer. With simple product sales no longer sufficient to draw customers to physical stores, retailers are accelerating the development of stay-type and experiential content centered on VIP customers.

An industry insider commented, "Recently, VIP strategies have shifted from simply offering benefits to capturing customers' tastes and time," adding, "The key is to provide rare experiences and differentiated networks."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.