Australian fashion icon Seafolly is expanding its footprint around the world, launching a dedicated e-commerce offer in the United Kingdom, as well as the ability to ship to Canada and New Zealand. The business said the new launches are part of a ‘customer first approach’ which also involves relaunching its online presence in Australia, Singapore and the United States. The new websites will provide updated looks and services such as click-and-collect, reserve in-store and the ability t
y to book time with an in-store stylist.
“As leaders in fit, Seafolly’s mission is to inspire confidence through empowering women to find the fit and style that’s right for them,” Seafolly’s CEO Brendan Santamaria told Inside Retail.
“A majority of our customers start their journey with Seafolly online before heading into the store, providing our customers with a seamless omnichannel experience is a priority for us.
“We recognise the importance of the intersection of digital and physical experience, and we’ll continue innovating across both spaces.”
The new and improved websites will now offer customers access to Seafolly’s ‘digital fitting room’, which includes styling and fit advice online, as well as direct access to fit specialists through chat.
In the United States, the business is trialling the use of Find My Fit technology, which claims to use the world’s largest 3D body dataset to recommend sizes to customers online, according to Santamaria
International focus
Since Santamaria took over in 2020, growing Seafolly’s international presence has been a key focus.
“Our focus has been to get our product and marketing strategies right with superior fits and top-tier campaigns,” Santamaria said. “This has ensured we drive strong demand for the brand both locally and internationally. Excitingly we’ve seen double-digit growth across our retail, wholesale and online channels.”
In the UK, the business is already sold through a number of department stores and third-party retailers, but Seafolly’s new website will allow customers to buy directly from the brand.
“Seafolly has a strong presence in the UK through our wholesale partners, so it was an easy decision to launch our UK website to further strengthen our brand presence in the market,” Santamaria said.
“The direct-to-consumer website will continue building brand awareness [while also] driving traffic to our key department store partners such as Selfridges and John Lewis.”
With strong performance across Singapore, Seafolly is assessing further expansion opportunities within APAC.
“We’re seeing significant growth in Singapore through our website and four Seafolly concept stores. We opened in [department store] Takashimaya in 2021, and it has quickly become our best performing store in the region,” Santamaria said.
Closer to home, Seafolly has big plans for the upcoming Australian summer, its busiest trading period.
“We have new celebrity talent on board as the global face of our summer campaign [and] are also looking to open a new store locally before the end of the year,” he said.
Santamaria has led Seafolly since it was purchased by L Catterton in 2020, appointing and leading a new leadership team to bring the iconic brand back from the brink.
“It’s been a challenge, but having gotten through Covid-19 we are seeing some top-line growth and we are now ready for the next chapter,” Santamaria told The Sydney Morning Herald.