Burberry Launches a Social Retail Store in China, Combining Technology, Shopping and Social-Distancing
By Claudia Langella
It’s no secret that the fashion industry is dependent on social media, so Burberry’s newest retail endeavor comes as no surprise. The British brand has partnered with WeChat to open a Burberry “social retail” concept store in Shenzhen, China. If the term “social retail store” is a bit confusing, the shopping experience that Burberry is going for is a hybrid of shopping online and IRL. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on throughout the world, we can’t help but think that this Burberry-WeChat collaboration was launched with social distancing in mind.
By sharing content with their friends on WeChat, customers can gain exclusive content and experiences in the store. Personal shopping appointments, store tours, product information and reservations at the store’s cafe are available to customers who share the most content. As for the store itself, it’s pretty big. Ten rooms boast different themes and experiences, and there are even customizations that can be made to fitting rooms. Want to play your own music? How about changing the decor to your liking?
via The Cut
Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti is excited about this new way to interact with Chinese customers, who make up 40% of the brand’s customer base, according to BBC.
“Burberry has always been a brand of firsts, built on a belief that creativity has the power to open spaces. We test new ideas and push the boundaries of what’s possible,” he told CEO Magazine. He hopes that this endeavor will change the luxury shopping market.
An interactive window, or “living sculpture”, reflects the viewer’s shape and responds to body movement. via Vogue Business
If you’re in the store and want to chat about a product with your friend in WeChat, each product on the sales floor has a QR code to scan for more information. This new retail experience is all about getting the customer to talk about the brand, and with something as innovative as this, we don’t think Burberry will have a hard time getting their clientele to do just that. Burberry hopes to expand this type of shopping experience with their entire network of stores across China.
"When it came to innovating around social and retail, China was the obvious place to go as home to some of the most digitally savvy luxury customers,” said Gobbetti.
Check out the Burberry Shenzhen social retail store here.