// Tory Burch CCO Francesca Danzi & Made.com CEO Philippe Chainieux attended as speakers at World Retail Congress on day 1
// They shared insight on innovation and “the future of brands”
// The conference discussed how brands attempt to connect with consumers
The first day of the World Retail Congress has taken place at the RAI Amsterdam, where leaders of the global retail industry unite to share insight and discuss innovation for retailers.
Tory Burch chief client officer Francesca Danzi and Made.com chief executive Philippe Chainieux were there to discuss how they gain control of their customer relationships and why connecting with consumers is crucial for retailers in the long-term.
The conference challenged the directors to share their knowledge of what it means to be a powerful brand in today’s world, and how they can survive in the same retail space as giants such as Amazon.
Chainieux, who took the reigns as homeware retailer Made.com’s chief executive six years ago, said the reason why the furniture retailer was launched as a direct-to-consumer design brand was because of the gap in the market.
He also said the retailer attracts consumers, especially millennials, by offering “great quality” products at an affordable price.
“The objective of Made.com is to bring to consumers great products and great quality and a fair affordable price,” he said.
“The way we do it is on one side we are collaborating with a lot of designers that are bringing a lot of interesting ideas to Made.com, and on the other side we built a platform where we have integrated all of the different steps of the manufacturing, product recycling, sourcing, supply chain, etc.
“This idea of having everything under control is to create a unique proposition to really bring a unique interesting products.”
Chainieux also told the audience of Made.com’s objective to further connect with the “new generation” by illustrating its presence on all social media platforms.
“We have built a brand with the objective to connect with the new generation, on all the social networks,” he said.
Meanwhile, Danzi emphasised Tory Burch’s purpose of inspiring women.
“The brand was founded by a woman and it is inspiring women around the world to be entrepreneurs,” she said.
“Tory Burch stands for embracing ambition.”
Meanwhile, Chainieux said that in order for a business to have a unique selling point, it needs to take risks, which entail connecting with new customers in new and innovative ways.
However, he said “businesses shouldn’t fear failure when attempting to communicate with consumers”.
He said Made.com’s way of standing out and attracting a contemporary audience is its addition of Talent Lab, which is a platform where independent designers are able to share their design ideas for Made.com products.
“It gives a sense of a community-feel as more people are involved in this way,” he said, while describing Talent Lab’s addition of allowing customers to give reviews on the newly-designed products.
The World Retail Congress takes place until May 16.
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