• Virtual Shopping from Klarna connects online shoppers directly with experts in physical stores, through live video and messaging, to provide a highly personalized experience that helps consumers shop online with confidence while driving footfall to the high-street. 
• By placing human interaction at the center of the online shopping journey, Virtual Shopping empowers retailers to create immersive experiences that are proven to increase customer engagement, reduce returns and drive loyalty. 
• Klarna now introduces Virtual Shopping as an offering in Ireland to its 800+ retailers. 

Dublin, August 16 - Klarna, one of the fastest-growing consumer ecosystems in the world, which is leading the generational shift away from credit cards, today announced the launch of its Virtual Shopping offering in Ireland, bringing the best of in-store to the online experience. 

Virtual Shopping by Klarna enables Irish consumers to buy online with confidence by connecting them directly with in-store experts through live chats and video calls to receive product advice and inspiration. For Irish retailers, Virtual Shopping empowers in-store teams to bring their expertise beyond the walls of physical stores to shoppers online. In-store teams can share photos and videos of items and demo products live directly from the store floor, from home or even from emerging dark store concepts. This in turn drives brand engagement and loyalty while increasing footfall to high street stores and reducing return rates.

While online shopping has risen to new heights over the past years, in-store shopping remains the dominant channel in Ireland, with e-commerce transactions accounting only for 6.1% of Irish retail sales in May 2022. Unlike shopping in-store, the online experience today does not allow consumers to see a product up close, touch or try on items, making it hard to tell if products are true to size, fit or color. Klarna’s data¹ shows that Irish consumers today are looking for the same level of assistance when shopping online, with over three-quarters (85%) of shoppers believing that retailers need to invest in new technology, while more than a third of those think that offering more personalized services (34%) and product recommendations (41%) is a priority for retailers.

Earlier this year, Klarna launched its Virtual Shopping tools across 18 markets². Already live with over 200 brands globally, including  Hugo Boss and Dyson, Klarna is now making the service available to all its retail partners in Ireland, serving as the ultimate online shopping companion to consumers and strengthening Klarna’s position as a global growth partner to its retailers. 

Consumers can shop online without ever stepping foot in-store, but still receive expert guidance from in-store teams to help consumers in their purchasing decisions. Through live video and messaging, consumers can view photos and videos of items up close and watch live product demos directly from the store floor - demonstrating everything from how a piece of clothing fits off the rack to the color of a cosmetic product or the size of a piece of furniture. 

David Sandström, Chief Marketing Officer at Klarna: “At Klarna, we want to provide the world’s best shopping experience - whether that is online or in-store. In the past, online shopping has been missing a key element: human interaction. With Virtual Shopping, we replicate the brick-and-mortar experience of receiving personalized advice from an in-store expert and bring it to the online realm. This will empower our partnered retailers around the world to bring their online stores to life and build customer relationships that last.”

How does Virtual Shopping work?

• For shoppers: Shoppers connect with an in-store expert when they click the Virtual Shopping icon on integrated stores from the retailer’s website. Once connected, they can chat, receive photos and videos, follow product recommendations, and even have a two-way video chat, recreating the experience they would receive in-store. 
• For retailers: Retailers integrated with Klarna can easily add Virtual Shopping to their online stores to deliver a true omnichannel experience. Once enabled, they can gain insights into shopper interactions and sales, enabling them to improve overall performance. To connect with online shoppers, in-store experts can now use the new, merchant facing Klarna Store App for iOS and Android. Once connected, they can begin engaging with consumers by text, chat and video, making it easy to provide personalized recommendations, schedule in-store appointments, and stay in touch.

ENDS  

1 Online survey conducted in cooperation with research agency Nepa across 13 countries (the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. In total, 1,095 Irish consumers participated during Q2 2022 (March-June). The sample sizes are nationally representative, naturally including both Klarna users and non-Klarna users, and have been selected by research agency Nepa.

2 The US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, France, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Sweden. 

For additional information, please contact: 
press@klarna.com