REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

smell what is going on, they
can feel it, taste it, they can
interact with [former F1
driver] David Coulthard and
all have a shared experience
and a drink together at the
end of the day. These stories
become immersive and selfexplanatory.
And this
is what we’re trying to
achieve, really.
I believe in technology
as an aid to give our clients
a better experience, but I
will not do technology for
technology’s sake. To have
an augmented experience,
it has to really add value to
the process. In a watch, the
focus is much more on two
things. First of all, we can
show the intricacies of the
watch movement, which we
cannot physically always
show in a closed case. You
can have a meaningful
connection in the omnichannel
journey, for example, allowing click-and-collect,
boutique purchase appointment bookings, et cetera.
Enabling strap accessories to see what fits on a watch with
different strap configurations, backer configurations,
things that add value to the process, those are very valuable.
On the storytelling side, we have things we created like
the virtual bike ride with [American actor and filmmaker]
Bradley Cooper, or the pilot simulator, things where you can
enhance your storytelling like actually going into our movie
production with Bradley Cooper, riding along with him on
the motorbike, taking interactive decisions along the way
like where you’re trying to go that gives you different endings
to this journey, and experience the story in a different
format. And that’s again, I think an opportunity where AI
and augmented reality can have a place in our stores.
One great challenge in any retail is in staffing. How have
you kept your retail division strong?
Customer service is the same internally as it is the external
service we provide to our clients. For example, we are now
launching the tracking of net promoter scores. So we ask,
based on your experiences, how likely would it be that you
recommend IWC to friends and family? We launched
10, 11 months ago across all the channels. And we’re now
introducing the score internally, asking our colleagues,
based on your experience with IWC, would you recommend
IWC? So it is exactly the same principle, you know, to
provide an inclusive, interesting and caring workplace. A
safe workplace with interesting opportunities to be able to
incentivize people to stay with us. We’re very lucky that we
have a lot of our colleagues who stay with us for a long time.
And I think that’s reflected in the fact that in September
2019, we achieved certification as officially a Great Place
to Work for Switzerland, as the first watchmaking brand
to achieve certification as well. And that shows I think that
some of these efforts [have worked].
Where do you see multi-brand retailers in your
retail strategy?
It’s a very important part of our distribution network. And
that has not changed. I think the industry has seen a degree
of consolidation, we’ve also seen a lot of international
expansion of some key retailers. And that is an ongoing
process. But as part of a distribution structure, the multibrand
retailer is as important to us as an external boutique,
as is retail creativity internally. The way I see it, they will
eventually all become perfectly connected touchpoints in
an omni-channel service, that really have a shared client
experience and a shared stock experience, where it’s fluid
between different channels. We’re still some years away
from that for sure, but I think ultimately, that is where we
want to be. To have one client-facing distribution function
that has different types of touchpoints, different channels in
it at all work with each other.
Above, clockwise
from top
The refreshed ION
Orchard store, with
a central space
where guests
can surround
themselves in the
experience of IWC;
at The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands, a
similar setup with a
changed layout for
a different space.
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