Burberry Plans to Sell Fashion Right After Showing it on the Runway
Posted on February 11, 2016
Burberry has announced a new way of marketing and selling fashion. They are calling it the see now/buy now system. Clothing will be available for purchase immediately after Burberry shows it on the runway.
The change will begin in September after the current round of runway shows. Burberry also plans to merge its men's and women's shows together. They will have two shows a year in September in February. The New York Times reports that Burberry's three lines - Prorsum, Burberry Brit and Burberry London - will also be merging into one single Burberry line.
Burberry CEO and Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey said in the announcement, "The changes we are making will allow us to build a closer connection between the experience that we create with our runway shows and the moment when people can physically explore the collections for themselves. Our shows have been evolving to close this gap for some time. From livestreams to ordering straight from the runway to live social media campaigns, this is the latest step in a creative process that will continue to evolve."
The change is a very significant as normally customers have to wait up to six months before Fashion Week fashions are available for purchase. Burberry's new model will completely change that. If Burberry's sales are strong it could put pressure on other fashion houses to do the same.
Whether the move results in extra sales for Burberry could depend on how well it can handle a surge in sales after its "see now, buy now" shoes. Bloomberg says, "there's also a risk that Burberry has overestimated the capacity of its systems and supply chain to manage its expected surge in orders and meet the tighter shipping deadlines." Bloomberg says Burberry has been moves to prepare for the new show format.