Robert Gentz who heads Zalando, a multinational fashion ecommerce company, recently spoke at the WIRED Retail event. Gentz firmly believes that fashion and technology are deeply connected, it makes a lot of sense even commercially. “We need radical change” he said at WIRED Retail, an annual event, where technologists, entrepreneurs and creatives participate and explore commerce, robotics, virtual reality and the future of services like home delivery. You can watch the video here.
Billion dollar valued Zalando, which started out in 2008 as a retail company is now a gearing up to become a fashion technology company. Inspired by the Chinese, who have a spectacularly connected style in terms of fashion ecommerce, Gentz has developed a Webshop very different from anything seen in Europe. The Chinese system allows consumers to connect with stylists through WeChat – an IM platform and discuss their choices with a stylist. It also allows them to order through an app and expect delivery within hours. Zalando now offers something similar to the Chinese system, Gentz believes creating an eco system like that is very important to enhance consumer experience.
