In the first of instalment of a new monthly column on advertising and branding matters, Hamish Pringle, strategic advisor at 23red and former director general of the IPA, finds lessons to be learned for retailers of all persuasions at London fashion brand Burberry.
I rarely go shopping at Burberry, but I’m glad I did recently as I witnessed a big advance in retailing. It was our daughter’s 21st birthday and she’d set her heart on a watch. Mother and daughter spent many hours searching online, comparing notes and shortlisting until they reached a broad consensus. Then they set aside a whole day to go to the West End to see their favoured brands in real life – this was not to be an online-only purchase. Having picked up an Emporio Armani ‘click and collect’ order from House of Fraser which served as a ‘one to beat’ reference point, they had a thoroughly enjoyable time visiting all known watch shops. Upon seeing a gold and silver version of a Burberry watch in Selfridges (which was over budget), they decided it would be good to actually buy the affordable silver version from a Burberry shop, and eventually they settled on this ‘time piece’ (in Burberry-speak) at the flagship store on Regent Street. This particular watch was available in other places but at the same price – a tribute to the strength of the brand. Unfortunately it wasn’t in stock and her birthday was the following day, but the sales assistant was unruffled. Together they ordered the watch using an iPad which is provided as a stylishly leather-clad working accessory to each member of the Burberry floor staff. This was at around tea time on Friday and the present would be ready for collection from midday on Saturday.On arrival at the store at around 3pm, we were greeted by a sales assistant who took the details of our order and went to the store room to get the watch – cue great excitement as the present was taken from its golden bag and pretty box to be tried on for the first time. Then having fitted the bracelet and agreeing that four of its links needed to be removed, we were offered a glass of champagne while we waited. Sitting in a sofa in Burberry's atrium – the site used to be a cinema – we could see the theatre of sales assistants using their iPads to help customers navigate the stock, choose something to view, and then wait in comfort while it was brought to them.No more than 15 minutes later, the watch was ready to wear by a very happy birthday girl and I’m sure this whole Burberry experience will be with her for a lifetime. No wonder Angela Ahrendts, Christopher Bailey and their team have received such plaudits.
Clearly this purchase was not inexpensive and the brand platform is a luxury one, but why shouldn’t B&Q or other mass-market retailers with a complex inventory and high ticket items be offering a similar service? Instead of letting people just use their retail stores as showrooms and then purchase elsewhere online, they too could harness the power of tablets for sales staff, as pioneered by Apple, and enable them to compete more effectively in-store, especially with their own brand. Meanwhile they could follow the lead of those retailers like Argos, which is reviving what many had considered a moribund business by building up its own ‘click and collect’ service, and securing an ambitious deal with eBay to enable its users to use the service too.These innovators are making themselves available to customers through all possible channels, and staying in contention as a result. Yes, it’s adding extra cost, but this should be offset by economies in stock-holding, and increased rate of profitable sales. Hats off to Burberry. I wish it sold power tools.
