Clearpay to host flash sale on three continents

Payments innovator Clearpay, the UK arm of Afterpay Touch Group, has announced that independent retailers on UK high streets are joining global brands for its first “flash sale”.

#ClearpayDay will be a 36-hour online sale for retailers offering Clearpay to customers, including Urban Outfitters and Boohoo. Deals on offer will typically give between 25 percent and 30 percent off, while brands like Pretty Little Thing will be offering 60 percent off all Clearpay transactions and Nasty Gal discounts of 50 percent.

The UK sale will run on August 14 and 15, alongside Afterpay Day in the US, Australia and New Zealand, making this one of the first exclusive online shopping events with global brands to run across three continents, with over 30,000 retailers and four million consumers. The group says both referrals and overall retailer sales are boosted by its flash sale events.

Clearpay, which launched in the UK two months ago, reduces the up-front cost of shopping by allowing consumers to spread the purchase price over two months in four debit payments. It is interest-free and is quick and easy to sign up with shoppers only requiring only a debit card.

“This is an innovation which levels the playing field in e-commerce, giving smaller independent retailers the same opportunities as top global brands to reach millions of consumers online with great deals,” said Carl Scheible, chief executive of Clearpay in a statement. “#ClearpayDay is game-changer – the first step in making the benefits of global e-commerce available to all.”

Clearpay’s UK roll-out is part of rapid international expansion by Afterpay Touch Group, which is more established in Australia and the US. Its ambition is for consumers to buy goods from any retailer in the world on its platform, Cross Border, which launched in March that allows customers to pay in their local currency, for products then shipped from oversees by the retailer. This service is currently on trial in Australia and New Zealand, with the intention to roll this out internationally.