Retailer’s social shopping experience blends digital and physical worlds

Burberry's new Shenzhen store utilises WeChat to feature exclusive content and access that is unlocked via social media interaction

Spotted: British brand Burberry has partnered with Tencent, one of China’s leading technology companies, for a brand new social shopping experience. Located in Shenzhen, the destination store provides a powerful blend of in-real-life shopping with online interaction and special features. The store uses QR codes on in-store products to connect with shoppers’ digital lives. Once scanned on a smartphone, the codes reveal styling tips, points for unlocking exclusive content and additional information about the brand and its products.

The collaboration is accessed via a mini-programme available in WeChat. After creating a profile, each visitor’s baby deer avatar hatches from an egg, neatly linking the online world with the fashion house’s recurring fawn motif. Shoppers use the programme to book one of the store’s three fitting rooms, with each booking including a pre-selected range of clothes to try on and a personalised playlist. Table bookings at the in-store cafe and appointments with stylists are both completed in-app.

Interaction with the new experience begins before entering the store. Screens and mirrors in the sculptural window display allow visitors to change what they see, and once inside, additional video content provides opportunities for earning participation points. The points provide access to new digital characters and outfits and exclusive dishes from the cafe.

Retail’s industry-wide journey into experiential shopping experiences continues, with Springwise recently spotting innovations that include a pop-up combining art, sports and fashion, and a self-timing bar of soap that dissolves after 30 seconds of vigorous handwashing.

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