Chanel acquires stake in online retailer Farfetch

French fashion label Chanel obtained a minority stake in British Farfetch. It wants to use the online retailer’s expertise to create more digital innovations for its own customers.

“Enrich relationship with customer”

The goal is not to bring Chanel’s clothing to Farfetch, but to help the French company develop new applications and digital aids. One such application is to get the customer to fill out several preferences, like clothing size, in an app prior to their store visit. This will help store employees to better and faster assist them.

“This is about how to enrich our relationship with our customers,” Chanel’s fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky told Reuters. The most important aspect is to give the customers more options if they so desire, without being too intrusive.

British Burberry announced several days ago it would also collaborate with Farfetch, putting its entire collection up for sale on the platform as well. The online retailer is active in more than 150 countries.

Farfetch’s new collaborations may be some of Natalie Massenet’s work. The Net-a-Porter founder left the company in September 2016, ahead of its merger with Yoox. She went to work for competitor Farfetch several months later, taking on the role of developing new partnerships.