Screenshot 2025-04-29 at 06.16.28

- 51:28

Interview

or listen on

Reinventing Tradition: How Selfridges Blends Heritage with Technology

📍London, UK

Selfridges may be one of the world’s most iconic luxury department stores, but behind its confetti cannons, pop-up activations, and celebrity appearances lies a complex and modern technology infrastructure. According to CTO Ross Beaumont, Selfridges has always prioritized innovation, dating back to its early 20th-century immersive retail and social progress ethos. That legacy now lives on through digital transformations designed to ensure the store remains a shopping destination and a cultural hub. With more than a million square feet of retail space and 60% of sales still happening in-store, Selfridges is doubling down on unified commerce, making sure the physical and digital experiences feel equally seamless, elevated, and engaging.

Central to this transformation is Selfridges Unlocked, the brand’s new loyalty program built entirely in-house. Unlike conventional point-based systems, this program rewards customers with experiences—like exclusive invites and events—based on their engagement across every touchpoint, from shopping to dining or visiting the in-store cinema. This shift from transactional perks to experiential value reflects the brand’s belief in retail as entertainment. Under Beaumont’s leadership, the tech team also introduced a clienteling tool to improve personalized service and capture rich customer data, which now fuels hyper-personalization efforts that retain Selfridges’ high-touch luxury ethos while leveraging data intelligently.

Sustainability is another core pillar of Selfridges’ future strategy. Through initiatives like Reselfridges, customers can sell back pre-owned luxury goods and purchase curated secondhand items, fostering a circular economy with the backing of robust tech processes. Beaumont revealed that the platform was custom-built to handle everything from item validation to logistics, supporting a broader company mandate that bans the sale of fur, microbeads, and other non-sustainable materials. This fusion of ethical standards and technical innovation ensures Selfridges can remain relevant to a values-driven, modern luxury consumer without compromising on quality or credibility.

Looking ahead, Selfridges is investing in AI and retail media with caution and purpose. Rather than chasing trends, Beaumont emphasized the importance of trust, privacy, and human connection in the luxury space. AI is being trialed behind the scenes to enhance internal efficiencies and support client advisors, but not to replace the essential emotional intelligence delivered by in-store teams. By fostering a product-led, cross-functional culture and investing in talent development, Selfridges is building a future-ready tech foundation—one that honors its heritage while actively reshaping the role of physical retail in an increasingly digital world.

Listen more

Interview

Coterie: When Product, Brand, and Experience Align

A key theme behind Coterie’s success is the power of messaging. While many brands focus heavily on channels, Ankur emphasizes that growth begins with clearly communicating the value you create.

A key theme behind Coterie’s success is the power of messaging. While many brands focus heavily on channels, Ankur emphasizes that growth begins with clearly communicating the value you create.

Interview

A key theme behind Coterie’s success is the power of messaging. While many brands focus heavily on channels, Ankur emphasizes that growth begins with clearly communicating the value you create.

Coterie: When Product, Brand, and Experience Align

A key theme behind Coterie’s success is the power of messaging. While many brands focus heavily on channels, Ankur emphasizes that growth begins with clearly communicating the value you create.

Interview

How Helzberg Uses Technology to Remove Frontline Burden

Under Ryan Holm's leadership, the 111-year-old jewelry retailer has invested in technology that removes administrative burden while protecting human connection.

Under Ryan Holm's leadership, the 111-year-old jewelry retailer has invested in technology that removes administrative burden while protecting human connection.

Interview

Under Ryan Holm's leadership, the 111-year-old jewelry retailer has invested in technology that removes administrative burden while protecting human connection.

How Helzberg Uses Technology to Remove Frontline Burden

Under Ryan Holm's leadership, the 111-year-old jewelry retailer has invested in technology that removes administrative burden while protecting human connection.

Interview

How HANRO US Used Streaming Ads and Clienteling to Accelerate Growth

Growth has not come from nostalgia alone. Under Satanas’ leadership, HANRO USA invested in modern acquisition channels while playing the long game on brand building. Paid social laid the foundation, but streaming ads delivered a breakthrough moment.

Growth has not come from nostalgia alone. Under Satanas’ leadership, HANRO USA invested in modern acquisition channels while playing the long game on brand building. Paid social laid the foundation, but streaming ads delivered a breakthrough moment.

Interview

Growth has not come from nostalgia alone. Under Satanas’ leadership, HANRO USA invested in modern acquisition channels while playing the long game on brand building. Paid social laid the foundation, but streaming ads delivered a breakthrough moment.

How HANRO US Used Streaming Ads and Clienteling to Accelerate Growth

Growth has not come from nostalgia alone. Under Satanas’ leadership, HANRO USA invested in modern acquisition channels while playing the long game on brand building. Paid social laid the foundation, but streaming ads delivered a breakthrough moment.

Interview

Inside Westwing’s Turnaround: The Decisions That Changed Everything

At the center of this transformation sits an unusual balance of rigor and creativity. Hoerning often describes it as the tension between data and intuition.

At the center of this transformation sits an unusual balance of rigor and creativity. Hoerning often describes it as the tension between data and intuition.

Interview

At the center of this transformation sits an unusual balance of rigor and creativity. Hoerning often describes it as the tension between data and intuition.

Inside Westwing’s Turnaround: The Decisions That Changed Everything

At the center of this transformation sits an unusual balance of rigor and creativity. Hoerning often describes it as the tension between data and intuition.

Trends

The Rise of Brand Memberships and the Future of Customer Loyalty

Brand memberships are having a moment in retail, and it is not a passing one. Across fashion, beauty, grocery, and home, brands are moving beyond traditional loyalty programs built on points and discounts and instead creating paid or value-based memberships that promise access, belonging, and emotional connection.

Brand memberships are having a moment in retail, and it is not a passing one. Across fashion, beauty, grocery, and home, brands are moving beyond traditional loyalty programs built on points and discounts and instead creating paid or value-based memberships that promise access, belonging, and emotional connection.

Trends

Brand memberships are having a moment in retail, and it is not a passing one. Across fashion, beauty, grocery, and home, brands are moving beyond traditional loyalty programs built on points and discounts and instead creating paid or value-based memberships that promise access, belonging, and emotional connection.

The Rise of Brand Memberships and the Future of Customer Loyalty

Brand memberships are having a moment in retail, and it is not a passing one. Across fashion, beauty, grocery, and home, brands are moving beyond traditional loyalty programs built on points and discounts and instead creating paid or value-based memberships that promise access, belonging, and emotional connection.

Receive new exclusive episodes


Sign up for our newsletter now!

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.