Luxury British fashion retailer Burberry, famous for its trench coats and signature beige check pattern, was founded by 21-year-old Thomas Burberry in 1856. Fast forward and Burberry is now an undisputed leader of luxury brands, embracing digital transformation and enhancements. In 2015, Burberry premiered new collections on Snapchat and disrupted the industry when it made catwalk styles available for immediate purchase through social media. It operates just 23 stores in the UK – its tech-enhanced flagship London store uses RFID tags on clothing to trigger relevant content onscreen around the store and in dressing rooms. Despite the luxury brand’s digital focus, ecommerce accounts for a small proportion of sales. Burberry is looking to drive online sales through adding its entire catalogue to Farfetch’s global platform, the launch of an Instagram shop and the creation of its B-Series social media product drops, which look to cash in on hype culture.
Burberry and Chinese technology giant Tencent have collaborated on a new concept store in China, which has been dubbed a ‘social retail’ experience.
The need to transform to keep pace with consumer demands and habits is a never-ending narrative in UK retail.
Luxury goods retailer Burberry anticipates a potentially lengthy period before business returns to normal.
Burberry has suffered an eye-watering slump in sales after admitting the negative impact on demand sparked by coronavirus has “intensified” over the past month.
Taking over the ‘Corner Shop’ at Selfridges, Burberry has launched an Arctic-themed AR pop-up experience.
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