Abercrombie in exclusive online deal with Zappos
Abercrombie & Fitch is looking to expand its U.S. customer base and distribution channels through a new partnership with Zappos.
Beginning with Monday, Aug. 16, Zappos will be the apparel retailer’s exclusive U.S. e-commerce partner, starting with women’s and kids’ merchandise. In addition, Abercrombie in collaboration with Zappos is launching a footwear collection for women.
The shoe line, whose eight styles include an ankle boot, court sneaker and strappy heel, will be available only on abercrombie.com and zappos.com., with prices ranging from $99 to $199. Each footwear style is designed to coordinate with a popular Abercrombie & Fitch denim style.
To celebrate the launch of Abercrombie & Fitch on Zappos, the online retailer will spotlight the brand’s denim in its virtual Denim Shop via a two-week takeover, with Zappos’ Fit Finder tool available to help customers find their best fit.
“In our stores and across social media, they [our customers] have voiced their desire for footwear to complete their outfits – and we're thrilled to make that a reality,” said Carey Collins Krug, senior VP and head of marketing, Abercrombie & Fitch. We design with the intention of making every day feel as exceptional as the start of a long weekend, and we're so proud to now bring that vibe to the entire outfit, head-to-toe, with our friends at Zappos," "In addition, we're excited Zappos is offering some of our most popular and in-demand products on their own seamless experience, which supports our goal of meeting our customers on the channels where they're spending their time."
Abercrombie ongoing efforts to shift to a digitally-led business model have taken hold. In its most recent first quarter, digital sales increased 45% to $403 million, accounting for 52% of the quarter’s total sales.
[Read More: Abercrombie & Fitch taps TikTok celebs for its first social brand]
Zappos’ partnership with Abercrombie marks the second time this year that the online merchant has entered a merchandising deal with an outside partner. In January, Zappos launched a multi-year partnership with leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization UFC to manufacture and distribute officially-licensed UFC merchandise for men, women and youth.
"As a company that looks to provide shoes, clothing and accessories for all, we're thrilled to partner with like-minded brand Abercrombie & Fitch," said Jeff Espersen, GM, head of merchandising, Zappos, an independent subsidiary of Amazon. "We're all experiencing a wardrobe refresh, swapping our cozy comfort for more stylish pieces. By offering Abercrombie & Fitch's best-known women's denim and exclusive footwear through an immersive online shopping experience, we're looking to make this transition as fun and seamless as possible for our customers."
Abercrombie & Fitch is the namesake brand of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and operates more than 230 stores (includes abercrombie kids) and a corporate e-commerce site globally. The company’s other banners, Hollister and Gilly Hicks, are not part of the partnership with Zappos.