Zalando launches invite-only shopping with Fenty x Puma drop

German fashion e-tailer Zalando is making its first foray into invite-only shopping. Customers will need to sign up to have a chance of being invited to a special sale of Fenty x Puma items that will kick off on December 19, 2023.

This new shopping mode is part and parcel of Zalando’s planned shift to a more upmarket positioning, a strategy the e-tailer illustrated in spring when it launched an exclusive capsule collection with Paco Rabanne. It is also the occasion to highlight the Zalando Plus loyalty programme, whose members have priority access to certain products.

“Our partner brands are able to tell a captivating story about their products, and give their customers time to tap this opportunity,” said Pascal Hahn, vice-president in charge of transactions at Zalando. While Andreas Roedl, vice-president in charge of the fashion range, said the new sales mode is a tool “that enables brands to showcase their most popular products while creating an even better shopping experience for their customers.”

Shopping by invitation is the latest new feature in a year full of innovations and tests for Zalando. The e-tailer has deployed an AI-enabled virtual assistant using ChatGPT, trialled virtual fitting rooms in 25 markets, introduced the ‘Stories’ editorial feature, and offered labels to jointly manage their inventory, including stocks sold through other channels than Zalando.

All of these projects have been introduced at a tough time for the group. Zalando’s revenue was flat in 2022, when it was equivalent to €10.3 billion. Enough to lead the group to announce it was cutting hundreds of jobs.

Zalando remains the top cross-border fashion e-tailer on the European market, according to data published in September by Cross-Border Commerce Europe, ahead of Shein from China, Vinted from Lithuania, and US sites StockX and Nike.