Why luxury retail must embrace tech to keep brick-and-mortar outlets relevant

Jul 26 , 2017

High-end brands are integrating technology into their physical stores, allowing customers to see what they want to buy in every colour and configuration

High-end brands such as Burberry, Vertu and Audi are integrating technology into their physical stores, allowing customers to see what they want to buy in every colour and configuration

When you step into Burberry’s flagship store on London’s Regent Street, you are immediately greeted by a floor-to-ceiling screen displaying runway footage. Broadcasting the latest looks from London Fashion Week, the screen provides a foretaste of the audio-visual experience you can expect to enjoy in the rest of the store.

Nearly 500 speakers pump out sound to accompany the images on the 100-odd screens within the store, instantly engaging with the customers.

The screens and mirrors also show bespoke multimedia content relating to certain garments and accessories that have radio-frequency identification technology woven into them. When a customer approaches a mirror to try on a product, the mirrors – as if by magic – become screens showing runway footage and other exclusive videos.

Technology is not just integrated with the immersive audio-visual experience. According to the brand, the flagship store experience is a marriage in which “online insights meet offline interactions to create the ultimate in luxury customer service”. Store associates are all equipped with an iPad that provides a detailed log of customers’ purchase histories and their preferences.

Burberry’s chief creative officer and CEO, Christopher Bailey, says: “Our Regent Street flagship brings our physical and digital worlds together to create amazing experiences that encompass everything from fashion, to heritage, to music, to the Burberry foundation.”

Since it opened its flagship store in 2012, Burberry has become a trendsetter in the integration of technology with the physical retail space, creating a seamless experience for customers. Other brands are also tapping into this trend.

This may seem a strange direction to be moving in, given the ease with which shoppers can buy clothing online, these days. Aren’t brick-and-mortar stores supposed to be at risk of becoming obsolete? As one industry expert says: “Retailers have long resigned themselves to the ubiquity of online retail and how its growth displaces physical store visits.”