Case Study

Digital innovation starts from the physical store

Fashion, art, design and the search for new distribution formats, placing the customer at the centre.

Redesigning in-store processes to continue a centuries-old tradition: offering the best customer experience ever

With more than 630 stores in 49 countries and 4 brands strongly consolidated in the collective imagination of the entire world (Prada, Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe), the Prada Group is a global giant of Italian fashion.

Always a forerunner in the use of technology in order to offer the perfect shopping experience inside and outside the store, Prada has successfully taken on the digital transformation challenge, with state-of-the-art, in-store solutions and the support of a technological partner specialised in System Integration and Digital Retail Strategy on a global level.

Flexibility in uniformity, for an increasingly personalised and captivating luxury experience 4.0

Picture

To integrate some of the most advanced digital technologies into its in-store operating processes, the Prada Group has chosen to rely on Retail Reply’s vast experience and on the functionality offered by Oracle’s innovative Retail Suite.

Starting from the requirements of data centrality, an omnichannel focus, scalability and uniformity, Prada has embarked on a path of optimisation and standardisation of its in-store processes, for a more homogeneous and, at the same time, flexible corporate management. This is aimed at improving customer engagement throughout the entire purchasing process (main sales, pre- and post-sales), and developing the stores’ potential in full, making a wider range of services and opportunities available to international customers.

The efficiency of standardisation and the effectiveness of the tailor-made approach

Harmonisation of in-store processes and maximum flexibility in the simultaneous management of several levels of complexity, within a multi-country, multi-brand and multi-channel logic. These are the very drivers with which to create a dynamic structure capable of seizing the opportunities offered by technological innovation, for a smart and tailor-made management approach that enriches the customer experience. For example, while customers expect maximum attention and exclusivity in the Boutique channel, the Outlet Channel, which differs in terms of its business logic, real-time availability of all customer information, regardless of the touchpoint, can still offer the consumer a personalised shopping experience.

As part of the Oracle Retail Suite solution (xStore, Oracle Retail Customer Engagement and Mobility inStore), uniform process standards were thus defined across all channels (Boutique, Freestanding Store, Department, Outlet) and for brands all over the world. At the same time, natively available personalisation opportunities were exploited to meet specific needs, for example related to integration with legacy systems and the specific legal obligations of each country.

Technology, processes, people

The path of technological infrastructure renewal, necessary in order to scale up and grow in-store operations according to business needs, has extended the scope of the transformation, kick-starting a genuine change management plan, designed to guide people in building a corporate culture that is increasingly oriented towards innovation.

Thus, the roll-out phase, which is progressively involving all the stores selling the Group’s 4 brands across the 46 countries in which it operates, simultaneously enriches the customer journey, thanks to the functionality of the new application, and guides the change management of Prada’s employees, with on-site training and 24/7 support.

The luxury of simplicity

Only luxury has the ability to take the customer experience to the extreme.

Starting in 2020, the new application will revolutionise the customer experience in a mobile-first and user-friendly logic. At the same time, the enhanced data analysis capacity (historical and current) will make it possible to understand consumption dynamics better, both in store and beyond.

At the basis of this transition lies the Prada Group’s strong awareness of the importance of progression in the management of complexity, with the support of the best digital resources on the market.

Picture

Retail Reply supports its customers in the Retail, fashion and consumer sectors, in capitalising on the opportunities offered by the digital transformation and customer experience, in-store and online. With a specific range of skills focused on the design of IT architectures, store implementation, loyalty programme management solutions, the creation of online and mobile customer experiences, omnichannel implementation through microservice architecture and capacity-based planning, Retail Reply supports its customers throughout the entire transformation process, from the definition of the digital strategy, to its planning and all the way to the implementation of the solution.