Bolt expands into Europe with Benefit Cosmetics

Checkout and shopper network Bolt is expanding internationally after signing deals with PrestaShop and LVMH brand Benefit Cosmetics.

Bolt, which offers retailers a one-click-checkout seamless service, is launching in Europe with Benefit Cosmetics e-commerce sites in the UK, France, Germany, and the US, as well as with PrestaShop in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the US.

The expansion Bolt states a “strong worldwide demand for a seamless and personalised shopping experience” that includes Bolt’s one-click checkout and automatically localised for shoppers using their own language and currency.

Ryan Breslow, founder and chief executive of Bolt, said in a statement: “Shopping is a universal language. Whether based in Mannheim, Marseille, or Miami, we appreciate being able to check out online with one simple click using the language and currency that we’re most familiar with.

“We could not be prouder to launch in Europe for the first time in partnership with Benefit Cosmetics and PrestaShop to give their end users one-click ease in checkout. Benefit Cosmetics and PrestaShop merchants will be able to reach new shoppers through our network, convert one-time guest shoppers into loyal customers, and build trust and loyalty among customers in multiple European markets.”

Globally, 43 percent of smartphone owners use their phones to shop online, according to Statista, and they prefer that e-commerce sites present information about products, shipping, and taxes in their native language along with prices in their local currency.

To support European merchants looking to provide a localised e-commerce experience that improves conversion and trust, Bolt has added automatic translation capability to its platform. It has also made its Bolt One Click checkout functionality fully GDPR compliant and garnered 3D Secure authentication for PSD2 compliance to support European payments.

Bolt teams up with PrestaShop and LVMH brand Benefit Cosmetics to expand internationally

Cindy Shen, vice president of global e-commerce and CRM at Benefit Cosmetics, said: “As a consumer-first company, Benefit Cosmetics is all about providing our beauty mavens with the best possible brand experience—whether that’s through an experiential pop-up or through the smoothest online checkout.

“We chose Bolt to power online checkout for our four international websites because of its seamless checkout experience and network of one-click-ready shoppers. We’ve just launched and are already seeing strong uplift in making it easier for our consumers to purchase their cult faves.”

Christophe Bouron, chief revenue officer at PrestaShop, added: “We know that our network of retailers across Europe will benefit greatly from Bolt’s open ecosystem. Bolt’s technology will be a game-changer for all our merchants, from SMB to mid-market merchants, allowing them to compete on a more level-playing field with the global retail platforms dominating the marketplace today.”

In addition to automatically translating website, email, and SMS messages into various languages, Bolt’s platform localises all address fields for shoppers, so they can quickly and easily create a single customer identity that lets them check out with one click on any e-commerce platform in Bolt’s network. The platform also supports a wide and growing range of popular alternative payment methods in the US and Europe.

Founded in 2014, Bolt is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in New York City, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Toronto. It has hundreds of retailers on its network including Forever 21, Badgley Mischka, and Burt’s Bees Baby.