Early Risers

Who hasn’t seen headlines heralding the death of the high street? Woolworths, Debenhams, Arcadia Group - does the failure of these brands point to an overall demise? Is ecommerce taking the place of physical retail? Or is something different going on? To learn more about where we are now, we need to look back a few years. In this first episode of Retail Reawakened, we track the digital transformation of global fashion brand Burberry and see the ways they’ve maintained their brand identity while adapting to an increasingly online world. Over the past 20 years, Burberry has established its reputation as an industry-leader in digital transformation. Long before its competitors, it embraced digital technologies to create high-end experiences for their customers in-store and online. Former head of operations Steve Ibrahim and digital transformation strategist Craig Crawford walk us through the changes the brand made, both logistically and conceptually, to bring a sense of luxury to every part of the customer journey. We’ll also examine how businesses can ensure their digitisation remains true to their brand and centers on the customer. In the second half of the episode, The Retail Champion, aka Clare Bailey of the BBC, will help us explore the bigger picture, providing a recent history of the UK’s retail evolution. She places store closures in context and challenges the notion that ecommerce is the harbinger of high street’s collapse. What are the opportunities presented by retail’s rush to digital? How can companies integrate their experiences and create a seamless path for the customer across all channels? What’s new for food and beverage? Clare gives you a snapshot of all of it. If you want to find out more about digital transformation and adaptation, visit http://adyen.com/ukretailreport and download Adyen’s latest research report.