H&M and Klarna add US to list of countries getting smarter payments offer

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 27, 2019

As smart payment systems become a key weapon in the fight to attract shoppers to fashion retailers, H&M said Thursday that it’s expanding its current Klarna partnership designed to "provide frictionless and flexible payments" across all its channels to include the US market.

As previously announced, the first country to get the tech will actually be Switzerland in August with the UK going live shortly after. The US will launch this autumn with another five markets to go live this year.

It all means tech that will work both online and in-store with Klarna's 'Shop now, Pay Later' product offering included, “as well as a streamlined post-purchase experience for deliveries and returns.”

The experience will be managed through the next generation of the H&M app and its loyalty program. The new feature is currently available for H&M members only, which echoes moves made by other fashion retailers as they work to offer extra attractions that encourage loyalty program sign-ups and boost the big data on which they can base their marketing comms.

Michael Rouse, Chief Commercial Officer at Klarna, said: “The foundation of the Klarna and H&M partnership is a commitment to continuously develop smarter, simpler and engaging shopping experiences. The future of retail is a high touch experience across channels which will delight customers, drive value and build loyalty. Customers will not settle for average.”