Over the past few months, so many aspects of our lives have been forced to change and the retail industry is no different. There’s been a huge shift in both the ways that consumers wear clothes (with ‘work form home’ being the new norm) and how they shop for them. With this in mind, Chief Creative Officer at Burberry, Ricardo Tisci wants to transform the way that we shop the luxury clothing sector.

Social media plays a central role in the lives of many consumers and Ricardo Tisci believes that it could hold the key to the future of retail. With the goal of creating a ‘truly interactive experience’ Burberry are launching a new ‘social retail store’ in Shenzen, China which will combine the worlds of social media and the physical retail experience. It’s hoped that this retail concept will appeal to Gen Z in particular, who took to TikTok to consume luxury fashion content during the pandemic.

The Shenzen Burberry store blurs the line between ‘URL and IRL’ by incorporating social media and gaming into a luxury retail environment. Powered by Tencent Technology, the tech giant behind Chinese messaging app WeChat and popular online game Fortnite, customers will be able to tour the store virtually and find out more about each garment by scanning QR codes as they shop. The technology also enables access to client services including fitting appointment booking and reservations at the in-store Thomas Café.

‘Social currency’ will be introduced on the platform, a new innovation which rewards customers for how much they engage with the brand on social media. The more customers engage with Burberry’s social media presence, the more exclusive content and rewards they will unlock including access to exclusive menu items at the Thomas Cafe.

Unfortunately, international travel isn’t currently as easy as it once was and Shenzen is roughly 5,924 miles from the UK, so it’s unlikely that many of us will ever get to experience the new Burberry store. Therefore, we’ve pulled together some of our favourite Burberry pieces here at the Hoxton trend, so you can shop the brand without having to navigate international travel.