Catch unveils ‘online DFO’

catch outlet 1

Catch Group has launched a marketplace, swapped assets with Lux Group, expanded into New Zealand and moved into telecommunications in recent months.

But co-founder Gabby Leibovich and chief executive Nati Harpaz are evidently unsatiated, moving ahead with plans to further expand Catch’s horizons with the launch of an online outlet store that promises to the be DFO of the internet today.

The e-commerce group is moving beyond its tech focused roots and is making a renewed run on fashion and accessories with the move, called Catch Outlets, signing on a myriad of well known brands looking to offload out-of-season or excess stock.

The platform runs on Catch’s existing marketplace infrastructure but has been departmentalised providing customers with access to 25 – 80 per cent off RRP on more than 75 designer brands like Adidas, Bardot, Tommy Hilfiger, Prada and Louis Vuitton.

Catch has built its brand on offering customers event-based flash deals sourced at low prices by its team of buyers, but according to general manager Adam Kron it will target a different type of shopper with the off-price offer.

“There’s two kinds of shoppers – impulse and intent,” Kron told Inside Retail. “We’ve been strong with impulse shoppers, but this opens us up to intent-based shoppers.”

“Its effectively an online DFO … we see it as a very big part of what we’re doing in the fashion space,” he said.

On the seller side Catch is also hoping to bolster its relationships with brands in fashion and accessories in a way that differentiates it from the growing number of other marketplaces looking for partners.

“We’re innovating in this space, we’re bringing a proven concept that’s been hard to do in the digital space and we’ve used the latest tech and merchandising design to make it work,” Kron said.

Catch outlet 2“It’s a massive expansion in both brands and product offering.”

Initial deals on the platform include Tiffany & Co pendants, marked 66 per cent off at $219 and Ralph Lauren sweaters, marked 50 per cent off at $89.

Outlet partners will fulfil their own outlet stores but Catch will assist with the curation of the offer on the platform.

Harpaz said outlets were a natural extension for the business that would now be able to deliver a more permanent discount offer to customers.

“Outlets is a natural extension for Catch Group as we look to build Australia’s largest online shopping destination,” he said. “central to that is ensuring we offer choice and value by continuing to expand the number of categories, brands and products we have on offer.

Bricks-and-mortar outlets have been a popular part of the Australian retail landscape for years, but in recent years retailers such as Myer have identified an increased need to adopt a clearance offer as fashion cycles speed up.

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