US-based fashion retailer Forever 21 has accelerated its ecommerce plans and has gone live with a new online store and transactional app in the UK.
The new site –which comes just a few months after it rolled out a new international expansion plan in Canada, APAC and Latin America – will service the UK and Europe in local currencies. The retailer is also working with payment service provider Klarna to offer additional payment options, such as paying in instalments.
Daniel Kulle, CEO at Forever 21, says: “Despite the market conditions the entire industry is facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we see a strong demand for the Forever 21 brand in the UK and the rest of Europe. We are dedicated to providing the best online shopping experience for both our UK shoppers and other loyal customers globally.”
The additional of the UK and mainland Europe now sees Forever 21 selling in 95 countries. Working with platform provider Global-e, the retailer has striven to not only expand into new territories, but also to localise its offering.
Canadian, APAC and LatAm expansion has been driven by shipping from the US, however making its websites and apps local to each country has yielded strong results. For example, it has seen a 133% increase in conversion rates in Australia through localising its offering there.
Alex Ok, President at Forever 21, adds: “Ecommerce forms a large chunk of the profitable core of our operations and as part of our new global strategy, Forever 21 will leverage Global-e’s technology to offer international customers an outstanding online experience. To engage digitally savvy consumers today, retailers need to invest in creating a unique online experience that speaks directly to the shopper. With the continued increase in demand from international shoppers for our brand, we recognised that an advanced global online shopping experience is a fundamental part of our future growth. The seamless localised shopping experience our consumers around the world can now enjoy is a vital milestone in our mission to use the latest retail technology to bridge the online gap between the convenience of ecommerce and the local experience of in-store.”
