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Abercrombie & Fitch is widening its distribution through an exclusive arrangement in the U.S. with Zappos.com and is expanding its footwear offering.
Officially, A&F women’s and kids merchandise launches on Zappos.com on Monday, though products are available on Zappos today.
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In addition, Zappos and Abercrombie have collaborated on a footwear collection of women’s boots, sneakers and strappy heels.
Outside of Abercrombie’s stores and e-commerce operations and native shopping functionalities of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, Zappos becomes the only retailer selling Abercrombie merchandise in the U.S. Overseas, Abercrombie is sold through its stores and on Tmall, Zalando, Asos, About You, Boozt, Next, Zalora and The Iconic.
Zappos began in 1999 as a website for footwear and has since expanded into clothing, bags and accessories offering such brands as Madewell, Vans, Crocs, Free People and Under Armour, which are all sold on various websites. Zappos, which was bought by Amazon.com in 2009, maintains a reputation for strong, 24/7 customer service, with its 365-day return policy and free shipping.
“We try to give every brand a white glove service but with Abercrombie, we are doing a fairly large launch. We haven’t done something like this in the past because it is so exclusive,” Jeff Espersen, general manager and head of merchandising at Zappos.com, told WWD. “This is really different.”
For the launch, Zappos will be highlighting Abercrombie’s denim in its denim shop via a two-week takeover. Zappos’ Fit Finder can help customers find their optimal fit. Zappos will also be featuring matching looks from the Abercrombie adults and abercrombie kids brands.
Months ago, “We first started talking to them [Abercrombie] about a footwear collection, and one thing led to another,” Espersen said. “Our companies are pretty similar in what we want, how we excite the customer and making sure we deliver the best experience out there.
“We initially approached them. There was interest on both sides,” Espersen said. “Since we are so deeply rooted in footwear, this is an opportunity for them to actually bring footwear to life in their own business. We can help them with that.”
And Abercrombie helps Zappos by furthering its apparel offering and “bringing to life head-to-toe stories” in fashion. “We have a very large focus on that,” Espersen said. “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.”