Customers of online retailer zulily can now add Apple Pay to their list of available payment methods when shopping.
The company announced Tuesday (Aug. 25) its plans to offer Apple’s NFC-powered payment method as the latest enhancement to its customer experience.
"We are excited to offer our customers Apple Pay, a convenient option for payment," Mona Akmal, zulily’s vice president of store, said in a company release.
"We are continuously looking at ways to enhance the ease of shopping and customer experience for our users to bring them back to the store each and every day.”
According to zulily, 56 percent of orders on the curated flash sales site in the second quarter of 2015 took place on a mobile device, which is why mobile remains a major driver in its efforts to change the shopping experience.
While Apple Pay’s empire seems to keep growing, some retailers have also expressed doubts. A Reuters survey released back in June — which polled the top 100 U.S. retailers according to the National Retail Federation — found “fewer than a quarter of the retailers said they currently accept Apple Pay, and nearly two-thirds of the chains said categorically they would not be accepting it this year.”
The retailers’ decisions were allegedly influenced by low customer demand, among other factors.
As of last week, online retail giant QVC will reportedly acquire zulily for $2.4 billion in a cash-and-stock deal as part of QVC’s growing efforts to build up its omnichannel reach and shift from its televised home-shopping approach, which has recently seen decline.
Post-acquisition, the two companies will be held under the common ownership of Liberty Interactive, the parent company of QVC. Meanwhile, Seattle-based zulily will continue to be managed by its current CEO and President Darrell Cavens.
“I am staying on and look to be here for a very long time,” Cavens said in an interview last week with The Wall Street Journal. The company is now focusing its efforts on cutting down delivery time, he added.
