Burberry Social Store, Shenzhen

Burberry partnered with WeChat to create a unique ‘social retail’ concept store, where digital and physical combine through customers’ own mobile phone. A perfect example of ‘bring your own device’ in action.

British luxury fashion house, Burberry teamed up with technology giant Tencent to launch a new concept in China’s tech capital, Shenzhen. Dubbed the Burberry Social retail store, digital and physical come together in a space that customers engage with through their mobile devices.

Burberry are trailblazers in the world of digitally enabled retail, and they are continuing to innovate and delight, even in the middle of a global crisis.

The 5,800 sq.ft store has ten rooms, including one dedicated to the iconic Burberry trench coat, and many featuring products and experiences exclusive to the Shenzhen flagship.

Customers engage with the store through a WeChat mini program. A personal digital egg hatches into a unique avatar that evolves as customers interact with the store and as they move up the ranks, they can gain access to new experiences, both physical and digital. They can use WeChat to book in-store tours, appointments, reserve fitting rooms and book a table at the store’s café. All products are labelled with QR codes, allowing customers to access in-depth product information via the Burberry app. Filled with social moments to share, it’s a concept that allows customers to interact with, and shop the brand on their own terms within a physical space.

Chinese consumers account for over 40% of Burberry’s sales, and with the recent protests in Hong Kong and international travel limited by COVID-19, luxury is seeing positive growth in mainland China as consumers make more of their purchases on home turf.

The country’s young luxury consumers are embracing every aspect of digitalisation in relation to shopping and their social lives. With their network of 60+ stores in China, Shenzhen was a natural choice for Burberry to launch their new concept, as it provides the perfect test-bed to trial innovation for rollout to the rest of their network in the region.