Why Klarna is introducing virtual shopping feature to retailers

Klarna, the Swedish buy now, pay later brand, is on a mission to make shopping online just as fun as buying in stores. The company is rolling out a new “virtual shopping” feature to its 400,000 retail partners that allows stores to replicate some of the consumer connections from a physical buying experience in the e-commerce realm. “Although online is a very convenient way to buy things, it doesn’t really give you the experience that we use offline,” said David Sandström, chief marketing officer at Klarna, noting that many consumers want to touch and feel a product, ask questions about it and get advice on fit and styling. “A lot of the friction we’re seeing in the market, both with abandoned baskets or people making returns, comes down to the fact that the basic human interaction is missing online.” Klarna recently ran its own shopping report that found that consumers prefer shopping in person primarily because of “the social interaction and level of customer service.” The survey found that 78% of U.S. shoppers think online retailers should invest in technology to recreate some of the physical personalized experience. Klarna’s technology allows retailers to match sales associates with customers online. An associate is able to live video chat and message the customer and offer a one-on-one personalized interaction via the Klarna offering rather than a third-party video service like Zoom or FaceTime. The tool is the result of Klarna’s acquisition last year of Hero, a seven-year-old social shopping platform based in New York and London. “Virtual shopping is just the start,” said Adam Levine, head of social shopping at Klarna and Hero’s founder. “We look at this as the second wave of e-commerce—the first wave was around convenience and the second wave is about experience and convenience coming together.” With the Hero acquisition, Klarna was offering the virtual shopping service to 300 retailers including Levi’s and Hugo Boss. It will now be a global product. Sandström said the gains in online shopping will enable retailers to offer workers more flexibility in a competitive labor market. Retail associates can connect with customers remotely rather than having to go into stores. They can also still collect commissions and are encouraged to continue the conversation with customers via text and email, reaching out about new products or collections, which could be helpful as brands strive for better ways to personalize the sales experience and create lasting connections. “It’s almost like having your own stylist on speed dial,” Sandström said. Making such connections is crucial for brands as a point of differentiation online. During the pandemic, online shopping reached record levels but in recent months, consumers have returned to in-person buying again. Forrester recently found that 72% of U.S. retail sales will occur in brick-and-mortar shops in 2024.

Why Klarna is introducing virtual shopping feature to retailers

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