Would you let a chauffeur do your shopping?

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“I’m going to be at Pilates for the next hour, could you go to Selfridges and pick up the below order?” I message my Wheely chauffeur Ionel from the gym changing room, quickly following up with a screenshot of a Jacquemus raffia bag and order number. “Of course,” he responds near instantly, “back soon.”

An hour and a half later, I finish Pilates and get ready, and when I put my gym bag in the boot of the car, the Selfridges bag is staring back at me. Throughout the day, I engineered a few of these scenarios, as I cosplayed a much wealthier person than I am. I got a blow dry while Ionel picked up some dresses from Alice Olivia; I had lunch while he went to a wine shop to grab a bottle of champagne. And at the end of the day, he took me home with all my ‘purchases’ in-hand (the Jacquemus bag and dresses were each loaned for the purpose of this article).

“I have a credit card I can use,” Ionel says as we discuss shopping for clients. “I can go and buy anything you need [up to £350] and it’ll just be added to your invoice at the end.”

As part of the new service, Wheely chauffeurs can pick up orders, queue at stores and even buy items on behalf of clients.

Ionel works for luxury car service Wheely, which soft launched shopping features as part of its concierge service — where drivers can run errands for customers for a set period while they relax at home — two years ago. Now, taking it a step further, Wheely members in London, Dubai and Paris, who have taken more than 15 journeys in the past six months, can book a driver for a full or half day to go shopping or collect orders on their behalf. Wheely CEO Anton Chirkunov noticed clients were asking drivers to stop off so they could pick up shopping, even on single trips, and saw an opportunity.

It’s a sign of the times: ultra-high-net-worth individuals increasingly value convenience and speed above the lure of a luxurious in-store shopping experience. There are already many top-tier clients with busy lives who “delegate” their purchases to personal shoppers, points out Federica Levato, senior partner at management consultancy Bain Co.

Wheely members in London, Dubai and Paris, who have taken more than 15 journeys in the past six months, can book a driver for a full or half day to go shopping or collect orders on their behalf

But what does it mean for brands that have spent years refining their in-store experiences, improving customer service and elevating their online and offline clienteling, to connect with very important clients? If those bells and whistles in store are not reaching customers directly, it might be time for a rethink.

The shift from experience to convenience

As the luxury slowdown and the uncertainty of US tariffs continue, and the aspirational shopper pulls back spending, luxury brands are more focused than ever on the top-end consumer. High-spending customers continue to be the backbone of the personal luxury goods market, contributing nearly 40 to 45 per cent of its total value while representing only 2 per cent of its approximate consumer base, says Levato. “Throughout various economic cycles, these consumers consistently invest in rare, timeless and highly personalised luxury pieces.”

Getting products to these consumers is therefore of utmost importance. High-end fashion sourcing company Pastor Co has been using car services like Wheely or Addison Lee in London to deliver goods for a while, and sees the value in the chauffeurs now being able to shop and collect orders on a client’s behalf throughout the day. “Ultra-high-net-worth clients rarely have the time or desire to shop in-store, walking around large malls for hours or waiting in queues,” says co-founder Levi Pastor.

While some retailers and brands allow a nominated person to collect orders on a client's behalf, it's not currently a given across the board.

“Affluent customers value two factors above all: time and convenience,” echoes Gab Waller, founder of LA-based luxury sourcing company Sourced By, who regularly sources high-ticket items for top-end shoppers and delivers them by courier. Quick delivery by the brands themselves is not a given, she says.

A handful of retailers and rental services are exploring concierge or speedy delivery propositions to make things easier for clients. Harrods has partnered with luxury apartment building Allen House in Kensington, for example, allowing residents to order high-end goods from the store by simply calling down to reception, with speedy delivery. Rental platform Hurr launched on Deliveroo in London last November, to allow customers to order a rental dress for delivery in the time it takes to get a curry.

Cash rich, time poor top-spending luxury clients value speed and convenience over anything else and are increasingly delegating purchases to help them with their busy lives.

Experts say pre and post-purchase clienteling and communication — such as offering access to exclusive products or styling advice — becomes all the more important if that customer never crosses the threshold (much the same as e-commerce orders delivered to home — though, in the case of chauffeurs, the brand is relying on the car company to curate an experience that befits luxury shopping). Making the process frictionless for the person doing the collecting is part of creating a positive client experience overall.

My experience with Ionel was pretty seamless, though there were limitations. Wheely chauffeurs’ £350 upper limit on purchases is perfect for smaller items, but won’t stretch to the majority luxury fashion, especially amid price hikes. Some brands and retailers I looked into when planning my fake shopping wouldn’t allow click-and-collect without me being present with an ID.

To remove some of the friction, Wheely is working on building direct relationships with retailers and brands. “We [already] work with one luxury department store to offer their top clients access to Wheely membership benefits, [like the concierge service],” says Chirkunov. “We are actively building our relationships with luxury brands and stores to do more of this and in the process of exploring how this could integrate in the app.”

Disclosure: Wheely provided the car service for the day. All purchased items or fashion samples picked up for this story were returned.

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