Kering, french luxury goods group, has defined a series of new developments under its digital strategy including plans to regain control of its e-commerce activities by 2020. The new initiatives taken up by the group will strengthen its focus on enhancing the omni-channel capabilities and further develop its digital activities.
In December 2017, Kering appointed Grégory Boutté as its chief client and digital officer so as to lead the group’s digital transformation and take the lead on e-commerce, data science as well as innovation.
The group has revealed various initiatives such as new suite of applications developed in partnership with Apple which will be used by the in-store staff. The first is a store experience app that will enable the sales associates to access stock levels in real time in order to provide customers with a fully personalised service. With the help of the app, sales associates will easily come to know if a specific size or colour is available in the store or it can be ordered from other stores.
Likewise, the data science team has been created to improve the service provided to the customers. The team will be responsible for adapting the digital practices to the Chinese market along with recognizing and promoting innovations from China to other markets. They have also launched several pilot projects to deliver the personalised messages along with experiences to the customer based on their profiles and buying history.
It is also worth mentioning that all Kering houses will be launching WeChat mini-programmes to build a close relation as possible with the Chinese customers and to offer social commerce.
Boutté mentions that, “These exciting new initiatives have been designed to meet – and exceed – the needs of our houses’ customers and to ensure we continue to offer them an exceptional experience across all channels in a fast-changing global market.”
Furthermore, Kering also plans to wind down its joint venture with the luxury retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter Group (YNAP) which presently handles Kering’s e-commerce activities. The France based group plans to invest in its in-house technology and operations team in order to fully internalise its e-commerce bringing the seven-year partnership with YNAP to an end. The group said it will continue to develop partnerships with third-party e-commerce platforms when relevant.
“Coordinated efforts and shared expertise with YNAP have enabled Kering houses to enhance the level of service of their e-commerce websites, we will continue to work with them post-transition and to enjoy a fruitful relationship,” says Boutté.
