Harrods

Since 2015, Tokyo Digital partnered with Harrods as their lead digital agency. We supported their monthly multi-platform magazine and delivered a range of digital brand partnership campaigns. Our most impactful work was designing and developing a pioneering in-store navigation app for one of the world’s most iconic retail destinations.

Harrods spans over 1.1 million sq ft across multiple levels. Visitors often struggled to find specific departments or brands. Previous indoor navigation attempts using GPS or Wi-Fi had failed to offer the accuracy needed for a building this complex. Harrods needed a more precise, reliable solution.

In 2017, we launched a world-first indoor store guide app powered by a network of nearly 1,000 Bluetooth beacons. The app allowed users to locate departments, brands, and points of interest in real time, with floor-accurate directions. Key technical challenges included dealing with the store’s layered architecture and ensuring seamless detection of user location across floors. We overcame this using advanced triangulation techniques and rigorous testing. The app transformed the in-store experience. Customers could navigate the five-acre space with ease, improving satisfaction and increasing time spent in-store. This solution redefined what digital wayfinding could achieve in a physical retail environment. It remains one of the most technically advanced indoor navigation systems deployed in global retail.