Klarna Acquires APPRL, Connecting Retailers and Content Creators as Global Consumers Embrace Social Shopping
Klarna, a leading global retail bank, payments and shopping service, announces the acquisition of APPRL, a SaaS platform that allows content creators and retailers to work together frictionlessly to bring immersive and informative shoppable content to global consumers.
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Klarna is a global growth partner for its 250,000+ retailers, constantly expanding the suite of tools they can leverage to engage with consumers in dynamic ways. APPRL, based in Stockholm with a global client base, is the latest addition to Klarna’s growing roster of retailer marketing services, powering merchant growth through the content that allows consumers to shop smarter through inspiration, reviews, customer service or product and price comparison.
Klarna’s retailer support offering now includes a Comparison Shopping Service, an AI-driven styling engine and content creation platform, and most recently, HERO, a world leader in conversational commerce. Together, these platform services help consumers make informed decisions about purchasing the products they want from the retailers they love and at the best price. APPRL will further enhance Klarna’s marketing services by allowing retailers to connect directly to relevant content creators to create social shopping content and track campaign results through Klarna.
Social commerce is expected to account for $84 billion of US retail sales by 20241 with 48% of US Millennial and Gen Z internet users already having purchased products through social channels2. Social shopping is growing across all demographics, and by 2022, 28% of the entire US population are expected to shop across social channels.
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Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna commented: “As social shopping becomes a core element of the retail experience, we believe Klarna’s position at the center of the shopping ecosystem is instrumental in connecting retailers to both consumers and content creators who resonate with their brand audiences. By adding APPRL to Klarna’s existing retailer support expertise, we see a huge opportunity to create an enriching and informative shopping experience for consumers everywhere while accelerating retailer growth.”
Martin Landén, CEO of APPRL commented: “We are incredibly excited to join Klarna on its impressive journey and bold mission ahead. As retailers continue to embrace influencer marketing as their growth engine, with an increasing focus on ROI, data and automation, APPRL has been seeing an exponential increase in demand. With APPRL’s platform together with Klarna’s scale, incredible talent and portfolio of marketing services, we will be able to offer retailers an end-to-end influencer and performance marketing solution that they won’t be able to find anywhere else.”
1 Business Insider; TechNavio; 2019
2 Bizrate Insights; April 2020; 18-65 years; internet users
3 eMarketer; 2018 to 2019;
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