Forever 21 Updates Digital Checkout, Outlines Subscription Program

Need to Know

• Authentic Brands Group, the parent company of Forever 21, has partnered with Bolt for a new online checkout experience.
• Bolt will offer single-click online checkout for Forever 21 customers, as well as the opportunity to save their information across ABG’s other e-commerce platforms.
• ABG and Bolt will also introduce a subscription-based program that features exclusive perks and rewards in Q1 2021.
• ABG plans to expand the partnership to its other brands, which include Lucky Brand, Brooks Brothers, Aéropostale, Juicy Couture, and Nautica.

Analysis

Authentic Brands Group has entered into a partnership with leading checkout experience platform Bolt to revamp the online checkout system across its brand portfolio, beginning with Forever 21.

Bolt will provide a single-click digital checkout experience for online shoppers at Forever21.com, as well as the clothing retailer’s mobile app. In addition to revamping the checkout experience, Bolt will provide its fraud protection technology to Forever 21 and, in the coming months, to ABG’s other brands, which include Lucky Brand, Brooks Brothers, Aéropostale, Juicy Couture, and Nautica. Shoppers will also be given the option to save their information once and use it across ABG’s various brands, creating a seamless checkout experience whenever they shop with ABG.

“Our customer-first mindset means that we are fiercely dedicated to meeting our shoppers’ evolving needs,” Daniel Kulle, CEO of Forever 21, said in a statement announcing the Bolt partnership. “We are thrilled to rollout Bolt’s e-commerce technology, which both enriches and accelerates the customer journey while streamlining the checkout experience at Forever 21.”

In addition to improving the checkout experience across ABG’s e-commerce platform, Bolt will also work with the company to roll out a subscription-based program offering shoppers deals and discounts, as well as exclusive access to brands, products, and other perks.

ABG acquired Forever 21 in February, after the retailer declared bankruptcy in late 2019, and has focused mainly on digital growth for the brand. Of the Bolt partnership, AGB COO Corey Salter said “it has never been more important for ABG to invest in technology for a better buying experience.”

“We are excited to introduce Bolt’s checkout platform to our brand customers just in time for the holiday season,” he added.

The AGB partnership represents a major win for the online checkout company, as AGB is one of the largest brand retailers in the US, with approximately $14 billion in annual retail sales. In addition to AGB, Bolt’s current retail customers include brands such as Muji, Badgley Mischka, and Swiss Gear.