Breuninger, with twelve stores in Germany and another in Luxembourg, provides a traditional shopping experience in the premium segment. With a strong focus on personal consultation and featuring luxury brands in bricks-and-mortar retail, Breuniger is now facing the challenge of transferring these values to the digital era across all platforms. The company is increasingly focusing on an omnichannel strategy. The goal is to seamlessly combine its values and service quality between brick-and-mortar retail and online presence. You can find out exactly how the retailer is doing this in the 16th episode of the Retail o-Tones podcast. Julia ("Jules") Antkowiak, Product Owner Mobile at Breuninger, visited the podcast and spoke to presenter Alexandra ("Alexis") Tsingeni about the challenges and strategies of an omnichannel solution at Breuninger. Here are the quick wins.
Tradition meets digitalization: the challenge for Breuninger
The integration of a thriving online store with the traditional department store experience presents Breuninger with the challenge of not only maintaining but strengthening its high-quality customer experience. The focus is on ensuring that customers can enjoy a consistent, first-class shopping experience regardless of the channel. The unique shopping experience that customers enjoy on-site should also be available digitally.
Cross-platform networking for a seamless customer journey
A central component of this strategy is the comprehensive networking of customer data across different platforms. Through a loyalty program and a dedicated app, customers can receive personalized recommendations, book consultation appointments and prioritize their favorite brands. This enables Breuninger to offer its customers added value that goes beyond pure shopping and to support them across various touchpoints.
Breuninger App
Step-by-step innovations for an improved customer experience
When introducing new technology trends, Breuninger takes a step-by-step approach to ensure that new features provide real added value for both customers and sales staff. The focus is on meeting customer expectations while maintaining the traditional values and personal touch of the brand. Staff training also plays a crucial role here.
Use of Gen AI for optimized customer interactions
Gen AI is used at Breuninger in a targeted manner to optimize interactions with customers and offer personalized experiences. The aim is not only to manage and use customer data efficiently, but also to support sales staff with intelligent data. In this way, the quality of advice and on-site services can be further improved. In the online store, Gen AI-based recommendation systems are used to provide customers with tailored product suggestions, taking the shopping experience to a new level.
Breuninger's omnichannel initiative: a response to diverse customer needs
Breuninger's omnichannel strategy aims to appeal to a broad target group and meet their expectations. By combining inspiring features with a user-friendly interface, it not only ensures a seamless shopping journey, but also emphasizes Breuninger's personal touch and exclusive brand experience in the digital space.
Future prospects: Innovative thinking for a digital transformation
Breuninger aims to continuously develop its omnichannel strategy to meet the changing needs and expectations of customers. Department stores and the online store are now always thought of together. The focus is on integrating technology and traditional values to offer a first-class shopping experience that is consistent and of high quality across all sales channels. The aim is to ultimately improve the overall experience for everyone - employees and customers alike.
