Zalora trials store without cash registers

Connection between offline and online

Zalora, owned by Rocket Internet and basically Zalando‘s Asian sibling, has opened a temporary yet remarkable pop-up store in the Windsor House shopping center in Hong Kong. There are no cash registers and customers will not be walking out with shopping bags.

Nevertheless, purchases are possible in the store: if customers find something they like, they can download the Zalora app and scan the QR code on the label. The ordered clothes will then be delivered at home, officially five to seven days after the order, but more often within two to three days. Only then does the customer have to pay.

“This is a way for Zalora to educate potential customers who may not yet be comfortable shopping online and grow our customer base”, managing director at Zalora Hong Kong, Cheng Xun Chua, said. It seems to be working because 80 % of its customers had never before shopped at Zalora before the pop-up store’s launch on 22 April.

Zalora has chosen to open a pop-up store, because it wants to move to a new location every two to three months. That way it can get new people acquainted with the brand and expand its clientele. “This is an experiment. We’ll use the data from this and other popup stores to adapt and give our customers what they want”, the company said.