In episode 375 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Samir Desai, chief digital and technology officer at Abercrombie Fitch & Co., a leading global, omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for men, women and kids through five renowned brands, including Hollister Co. Listen in as Desai discusses the launch of its Share2Pay functionality at checkout for its Hollister brand (1:27), why the brand prioritized its mobile app when launching the payment option (4:04), and why Hollister decided to build this tech functionality in-house (6:20).

Furthermore, Desai shares the internal cross-functional process behind building the Share2Pay functionality (9:02), and learnings gained from customer feedback during the testing process (11:08). Lastly, he discusses the goals set for the payment technology and the associated customer experience with the Hollister brand (13:10).

Samir Desai is chief digital and technology officer at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. In this newly created role, Desai is responsible for leading the company’s ongoing digital transformation strategy, including developing strategic initiatives through data and analytics, optimizing customer and user experience, and further evolving the company’s portfolio of brands into digital experiences that are unique to each of their diverse audiences. Desai joined Abercrombie & Fitch Co. from Equinox, a luxury fitness company that operates several lifestyle brands. At Equinox, he most recently served as chief technology officer. In that role, Desai was responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive data strategy across the brand portfolio, launching a direct-to-consumer digital media business, creating customer experiences that fused physical and digital strategies, and more.