Zalando increases brand experience with opening flagship stores
Zalando is committed to increasing the brand experience. Rubin Ritter is chairman of the board of Zalando let us know to open flagship stores. The shops are opened in metropolises, such as in London, Paris and Berlin. In these large cities you can find customers who order a lot. According to the CEO, it is interesting for this group to experience the brand not only online, but also offline.
Outlets basis for brand experience
There is already a small scale to increase the brand experience. From 2012, for example, Zalando outlets have already arrived in Germany. For example, there are outlets in Cologne, Frankfurt and Berlin, and opportunities are now also being considered in Düsseldorf. However, the brand experience is still limited to the outlets. This mainly concerns the sale of returns, leftovers and items that no longer fit the season. With the opening of flagship stores, the real focus is on brand experience. This strategy is also already being followed by Amazon and Apple.
Increase brand experience
The first steps towards increasing the brand experience were taken some time ago. That was in June 2015. In that year, Zalando took over the bankrupt fashion fair Bread & Butter. This fair was held at the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin. In addition, clothing seller Kickz was taken over. It is not yet known when the flagship stores will be opened. It is known that new techniques are used on site in the store. For example, the possibility to print clothes with a 3D printer in the store.
Omnichannel strategy
The fact that Zalando is now taking the next step towards increasing the brand experience is related to the Omnichannel strategy. The online store has a great reputation. When it comes to the perception and experience of the customer, that is no longer enough. At least not enough to remain successful. That is also the reason that we are now choosing to offer an offline experience. Incidentally, the offline brand experience initially takes place to a limited extent. If the flagship stores in Berlin, London and Paris prove to be a great success, the horizon can of course be further broadened.
The implementation of the Omnichannel strategy is an important move for Zalando. It is a way to bind customers. Instead of only customer satisfaction, the emphasis is even more on customer loyalty. This is very important for the success of the company. In the field of Ecommerce, Zalando can certainly be called successful and offline is now also being taken a step forward. Customers simply have the need to experience and experience. This creates trust and provides an excellent basis for building a customer relationship. Offline brand experience is of a completely different order than an online experience.
