Michael Hill Embarks on Experience Transformation with Qualtrics to Address Evolving Employee and Industry Expectations

Leading international retailer will redesign its employee and brand experience

Michael Hill strengthens retail fundamentals following growth in digital sales

SYDNEY, AUGUST 12, 2021 – Qualtrics (Nasdaq: XM), the world’s No.1 Experience Management (XM) provider and creator of the XM category, today announced that Michael Hill, the international multi-channel jewelry brand, has chosen the Qualtrics Experience Management Operating System to accelerate and inform the launch of new initiatives supporting the company’s evolution into a modern, differentiated, omni-channel retailer.

Following a year of record digital sales, Michael Hill is evolving its retail and people experience fundamentals to satisfy new and emerging customer and employee expectations, as well as the company’s in-store and digital execution and visual merchandising standards.

Building talent and teams

To attract, develop, and retain the workforce Michael Hill needs to succeed in the fast-moving retail industry, the business is redesigning the way it listens and engages its 2,200 team members using Qualtrics EmployeeXM™. Using Qualtrics, Michael Hill will capture regular qualitative and quantitative feedback from team members at key stages in their employment lifecycle and after significant business moments, with insights supplementing the brand’s annual team member engagement program. Feedback will be made available to leaders to analyze and act on in real-time.

“Michael Hill’s People Promise – enabling you to realise your potential – and our culture is what sets us apart as an employer of choice and aspirational brand to our teams and customers. Delivering this Promise is critical to our ongoing transformation, and Qualtrics is central to achieving it. The technology selected will provide us with insights to inform our decision making and gives us the ability to frequently capture and act on feedback in real-time to design new or improve existing team member initiatives, while also ensuring our workforce have the support they need to deliver a great in-store experience,“ said Joanne Matthews, Chief People Officer, Michael Hill.

“The investment in Qualtrics has had an immediate positive impact at Michael Hill. We had almost 90% of team members respond to our first interaction with them through the operating system, and encouragingly we discovered our current engagement score is 13% greater than the retail industry average. These in-depth insights combined with our new abilities provide the strong foundation for our people experience transformation,” added Joanne.

Building an aspirational brand

As part of the experience transformation underway at Michael Hill, the retailer will use Qualtrics BrandXM™ to develop a real-time brand tracker outlining how the brand is performing in individual markets, how it is perceived against competitors, and to identify key drivers for growth. Rapid speed to regular brand insights captured with Qualtrics will allow Michael Hill to confidently understand the impact its new initiatives and offerings are having on consumers. This will allow the retailer to improve the effectiveness by taking targeted action on the moments and issues that matter, helping Michael Hill achieve its vision of becoming the most loved jewellery destination.

“For us to effectively and consistently position Michael Hill as an aspirational jewellery brand it is essential that we are able to rapidly and regularly track market dynamics, brand perception, and the competitive landscape in each market we operate in. With regular access to market insights captured by Qualtrics, Michael Hill will be able to make data-driven decisions that give us a significant competitive advantage by ensuring we align our brand with insights from our customers, and by optimising our marketing investments and strategies,” said Jo Feeney, Chief Marketing Officer, Michael Hill.

“Right now every organisation is going through an experience transformation as they work to respond to evolving behaviours, expectations, and preferences among their customers, employees, and the broader market. In this environment experience management is critical, equipping organisations such as Michael Hill with the insights and ability to continually design and improve the experiences people want with confidence and precision,” said Jason Laufer, Managing Director Australia & New Zealand, Qualtrics.

To learn more about Qualtrics visit www.qualtrics.com/au

About Qualtrics

Qualtrics, the world’s No. 1 Experience Management (XM) provider and creator of the XM category, is changing the way organisations manage and improve the four core experiences of business—customer, employee, product, and brand. Over 13,500 organizations around the world are using Qualtrics to listen, understand, and take action on experience data (X-data™)—the beliefs, emotions, and intentions that tell you why things are happening, and what to do about it. The Qualtrics XM Platform™ is a system of action that helps businesses attract customers who stay longer and buy more, engage employees who build a positive culture, develop breakthrough products people love, and build a brand people are passionate about. To learn more, please visit qualtrics.com.

About Michael Hill

Michael Hill has been crafting distinct, timeless jewellery since it first opened its doors in 1979.
Their team of in-house master craftsmen are dedicated to creating your future heirlooms and keepsakes while continuously perfecting their craft.

For over 40 years Michael Hill have shared their vision locally and globally with customers in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, earning a reputation as quality jewellers across multiple markets. Thoughtfully sourcing materials from leading designers and diamond suppliers, Michael Hill continue to produce quality pieces, offering consumers the Michael Hill Diamond Promise and International Lifetime Diamond Warranty.

To this day, Michael Hill continue to craft the special pieces for every one-of-a-kind occasion, person and purpose in life.