London, 12 April 2017 – Farfetch, the online platform to shop the world’s greatest selection of luxury unveils the BETA version of Store of The Future (SoF). Farfetch Store of the Future links the online and offline worlds, using data to enhance the retail experience, delivering personalisation for customers and allowing store staff to become in-store influencers.
José Neves, Farfetch Founder, Co-Chairman & CEO, said: “Physical retail accounts for 93% of sales today, and even with online growing at fast speed, it will account for 80% by 2025. Retailers need a way to collect information about their customers while they are browsing in-store, just as they collect data from online searches1. Store of the Future aims at providing the in-store experience of the future by giving visibility to retailers on what is happening in the store. It’s the offline cookie that closes the loop, between a great online presence and a complete omni-channel offering and, finally in-store technology which augments the experience of customers in store and overall. The next stage in the evolution of the fashion industry is the connected store, which uses technology to enhance the luxury retail experience to become even more customer centric. Farfetch is at the crossroads of luxury and technology and is well placed to understand its needs and deliver a tailored solution"
SoF is the final piece in the Farfetch Augmented Retail vision, linking the online and offline worlds. It is a platform where Farfetch will tailor the solutions to each brand, each city and each store. SoF is about humanising the retail experience, delivering personalisation to customers and empowering the store staff. Whatever in-store digital tools, technology or services each brand or store uses, the key value is in DATA that will drive personalised meaningful customer experiences, and on the business side a significant competitive advantage.
Later this year Store of The Future technologies will be launched in Browns and in the flagship Thom Browne store in New York.
Holli Rogers, CEO at Browns, said: “Our plan is to re-establish Browns as the coolest boutique in the world. One of the most important factors in making this happen is to stay completely in tune with the ever changing lifestyle needs of our customers and to keep pushing our product assortment and innovating. Deploying the digital innovations that make up Store of the Future facilitates us to take big steps towards this longer term vision. Implementing these innovations within our stores will fundamentally allow our customers to enjoy a bespoke and effortless experience that harmonises the best parts of boutique shopping with the speed and convenience of e-tail. We’ve had a lot of fun
1 Fashion of the Future: The 3 C’s of Change; Customer, Content, Commerce. Research by Bain & Company, commissioned by Farfetch
working through the integration of this approach and we anticipate that our customer will experience a new sense of discovery within the retail landscape of Browns.”
Commenting on the upcoming launch, Rodrigo Bazan Thom Browne CEO said, “Thom Browne’s success is founded on outstanding customer service as much as on impeccable product quality. As we open stores in key capitals around the world and develop a strong direct-to-consumer, omni-channel business, we believe the connected store to be a great opportunity to enhance our in-store customer experience. We are very excited to have been chosen by Farfetch, and look forward to starting the global roll out of this new service from the New York store.”
