Burberry Fragrance App
Design Lead . Creative . UX . UI
A multi-sensory fragrance discovery App that enhances the in-store experience
Burberry fragrances are featured in many luxury stores and high-profile destinations all over the world. However, in a highly competitive fragrance retail environment, even brands such as Burberry have to compete to attract consumers’ attention. This poses an interesting challenge, especially when Burberry asked me to design its new in-store fragrance experience. Could we leverage the success of the My Burberry digital monogramming station and spin this idea in a new way?
Challenge
Following on from the success of the in-store My Burberry digital monogramming station featuring Kate Moss and Cara Delevigne, they wanted me to develop a similar concept, using smaller screens, making it easier to roll out at scale. Most importantly they wanted me to leverage the new cinematic TV campaign created by Steve McQueen.
After observing the environment, we concluded the challenge could be encapsulated in ‘How do you create a product spotlight in a crowded retail space and how do you enhance the customers’ experience and natural behaviour while browsing fragrances?’ Furthermore, we would also need to find new ways to pique customers’ interest at the moment of first contact with the product.
Approach
I wanted the customer to feel a sense of what it’s like to be Mr.Burberry and be in his world, enhancing the senses, so not only could they smell the fragrance, they could experience it.
I worked alongside art directors, video editors, store designers, and a creative technologist. The experience we developed together aimed to elevate the customer’s natural browsing behavior while creating a lasting emotional connection, enhanced by a rich fragrance discovery.
To create a lasting impression for the customer, touch, sound, sight, and scent would blend seamlessly, intertwining with the backdrop of London and a heady mix of style and romance.
Process
We wanted customers to notice the podium, sample the scent and to seduce their senses so we looked at how we could do that using an App interface that integrated into the podiums. We spent time at various locations to understand the environment and what was possible. We also spoke to the sales advisors to understand how an App might enhance their fragrance selling technique. We shared our discoveries and insights with the team and then conducted a series of workshops to ideate around the problem. We were influenced by the use of RIFD recognition and how this could be developed into an experience triggered by lifting the bottle which was the first and most natural interaction, observed in the showrooms.
Solution
Working with our technical partners and our creative technologist, I designed an App that was able to recognise each fragrance bottle from the range by its unique fingerprint. This was achieved by attaching conductive stickers, fixed to the bottom of the bottle, each with its own unique fingerprint configuration.
The Experience
A multi-sensory journey through scent via style, that builds in layers.
The experience paved the way to a whole new creative approach, never seen before, where by placing a particular fragrance bottle on the iPad screen and lifting it could trigger an experience, unique to that fragrance.
We also integrated match-cut functionality which enabled the viewer to switch fragrances seamlessly during the experience to find their match. The execution required extreme attention to detail during the shoot, post production and editing phase.
My personal highlight of the project was directing the edits of the videos and working on the binaural sound design in the London studio.
Outcome
Burberry is popular and well documented as being one of the most forward-thinking companies when it comes to customer experience, seamlessly integrating its offline and online communications.
The final product leveraged the customer’s natural interaction with the bottle and seduced the senses using touch, smell, sight and sound.
The experience put the customer in the centre of the Mr Burberry universe as they discovered intimate details of his style, his attitude, his city and the inspiration behind the scent.
The point of sale was big and bold, featuring the Burberry trench colours and a pair of designer headphones that attracted many intrigued customers to the podium. The immersive and sensory discovery began from the moment someone lifted the bottle and healthy sales were reported during the launch and the brand said it captured the irreverent spirit of the fragrance aptly and they hoped to expand on this idea again and Burberry was highlighted again in the
