Published
Feb 15, 2018
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Burberry major e-tail deal with Farfetch adds instant growth

Published
Feb 15, 2018

Burberry is ramping up its e-tail operation globally and has announced a new deal with Farfetch that will see its full range being made available to shoppers in 150 countries on the Farfetch platform. It also means that its entire global inventory will be available to e-buyers for the first time.


Burberry - Spring-Summer2018 - Womenswear - Londres - © PixelFormula



Daniel Heaf, senior VP of Digital Commerce and Digital Marketing at the UK luxury firm said: “Burberry has led the way in digital and this is a natural and significant evolution for us as we seek to reach a young fashion-conscious consumer. We want the digital expression of our brand to represent the very best in brand and product storytelling whether on our own platforms or through our partners, and Farfetch customers globally can now access the full Burberry offer.”

It’s an interesting move for both partners. Burberry has shown itself to be one of the most forward-looking luxury brands when it comes to digital, but this partnership is almost an admission that going it alone isn’t necessarily the best option when there are giant multibrand platforms out there that can offer instant scale. The company had already come to the same conclusion with its beauty operations and licensed them to Coty

It seems that for Burberry, it wants to do what it does best (design, physical retail, digital creativity and some degree of e-tail) while calling in partners to add expertise where needed. And when it comes to global luxury e-tail. Farfetch is one of the leaders.

Meanwhile, for Farfetch, it highlights that offering e-tail services for major brands, rather than just the multibrand boutique partnerships on which it was founded, is a key way to build the business. Rival Yoox Net-A-Porter has gone down this route for many years and operates the e-tail sites for a raft of A-list brands including Armani, Marni and Isabel Marant.

So how will it work? Technology developed by Burberry has been integrated into the Farfetch operating system and the two are working closely “on how the brand is presented on the Farfetch marketplace, ensuring the images and narrative provide a consistent and curated digital experience.”

Burberry said the technology underpinning the partnership will also enable it “to deepen its relationships with other existing and new e-commerce partners. The new format grants partners previously unavailable levels of depth, flexibility and transparency of [our] inventory, and allows [us] to reach an expanded cohort of customers.”

The new partnership’s highest profile impact will come when it launches its Show to Door offer, an immediate around-the-clock London delivery service from Farfetch for 24 hours after its upcoming London Fashion Week show. 

A capsule collection of re-issued pieces from the brand’s archive, re-released as part of the runway collection, will also be available for purchase immediately following the show. And in addition to the capsule collection, three tote bags inspired by the February 2018 collection will be available only to Farfetch customers.

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