Fast Retailing brand debuts 20-second mobile shopping; buy directly from ads

New York -- Fast Retailing Co.’s Comptoir des Cotonniers division, a French fashion brand, has launched a new service, “Fast Shopping,” which allows European shoppers to purchase items in 20 seconds on their mobile devices via an application from Powa Technologies, London. Shoppers using the PowaTag app can scan items they see on ads in various places to make the purchase and with one click, complete the transaction and have the goods delivered to their home within 48 hours.



“As a leading fashion retailer, this is exactly the kind of innovation that we look for at Comptoir des Cotonniers utilizing technology to better meet the needs of our customers,” said Nancy Pedot, CEO of Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princesse tam.tam, which owned by Fast Retailing, also parent company of Uniqlo. (Pedot, formerly CEO of Gymboree Corp., joined Fast Retailing in 2013.)



Comptoir has placed some 10,000 ad supports for the new service, effectively giving the brand 10,000 virtual storefronts, ranging from promotions on bus shelters to ads in fashion magazines and on café tables. About 30 skus are being offered, with a second series of products to be launched in November.



“We are proud to be partnering with Powa Technologies as we introduce the concept of ‘Fast Shopping’ and redefine what multichannel means for the retail industry,” Pedot said.



Other retailers are also looking into the technology. British brand Laura Ashley will integrate PowaTag codes into its website and then into its catalog, allowing customers to make purchases by scanning product pages, according to Marketing Week.