Challenge

In 1970, URBN founder Dick Hayne opened a new store with a unique mission. He wanted to create a shopping experience focused on the customer’s lifestyle by showcasing an eclectic mix of products—everything from vinyl records and jeans to houseplants and furniture. That store eventually became Urban Outfitters and evolved into a company that operates several other retail brands under the URBN umbrella.

URBN’s expansion has been grounded in the company’s passion for creativity and its customer-first mindset. URBN’s goal is to deliver the products and experiences that customers want, no matter how, when, or where they shop. When those customers began showing strong interest in online shopping in the late 1990s, URBN became an early adopter of ecommerce.

URBN chose to build its own ecommerce platforms from the ground up to have full control over a customer experience tailored for their brands. Over time, that system grew to include different partners to provide online payment processing and in-store payment terminals. The company also engineered a number of direct integrations to enable various payment methods, including digital wallets and buy now, pay later services.

Today, URBN’s digital channels are a major source of customer engagement, and ecommerce represents over 50% of global revenue. In order to continue providing best-in-class experiences for their customers, URBN began looking for a payment technology partner to help them pursue innovations.

URBN needed online and in-store payment processing technology that was reliable enough to support more than $5 billion in annual sales, yet could easily integrate with its existing order management system and replace the individual integrations with multiple payment providers—saving time and effort for URBN’s development team. That payment technology would need to support all the existing payment methods URBN offered, while also offering a simple way to add new payment methods to further improve the customer’s checkout experience. URBN was also interested in enhancing its payments data collection and analytics capabilities.

Above all, any potential partner had to offer future-proof technological capabilities and share URBN’s commitment to innovation and responsiveness to changing customer needs.

“Every technology that people have interacted with over the past 30 years has changed or been replaced. The iPhone didn’t exist 15 years ago, and now it’s an intimate part of people’s lives,” said Rob Frieman, URBN’s chief information officer. “For us, it’s not about a specific piece of technology. It’s about the ability to solve problems and being curious and creative in how you approach building great customer experiences.”

Solution

URBN recognized Stripe as the ideal partner to help support its continued retail evolution. “We partnered with Stripe because they’re going to be the payments innovator for the next decade,” said Frieman. “Stripe’s ability to drive innovation and respond to our needs sets them apart in the rapidly changing retail landscape.”

To unify commerce across all its brands, URBN integrated Stripe Payments to process ecommerce sales, including buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) and buy online, ship to store (BOSS) transactions. URBN also adopted Stripe Terminal to process in-store transactions for its 600 retail stores in North America. This unified commerce solution bridged URBN’s online and in-store ecosystems, creating a cohesive customer experience across all touchpoints and streamlining internal operations compared to the company’s legacy systems.

Before making any changes, URBN worked with the Stripe professional services team to plan the integration. Together, the teams examined the company’s frontend purchasing experience and backend accounting and order management systems to consider a full range of use cases, including edge cases the system would have to handle.

From there, URBN followed a phased implementation plan that began by integrating Payments for ecommerce transactions for Urban Outfitters customers in Canada, then extending to additional brand websites in Canada before rolling out Payments for US websites. URBN used Stripe APIs to connect Payments to the company’s order management system that identifies purchased products, records when they are retrieved from a fulfillment center, and then settles the transaction with the customer’s payment method upon shipment. Through the entire phased implementation, URBN worked side by side with Stripe professional services to quickly resolve development issues, identify and prioritize new features, and de-risk the project.

URBN adopted Stripe’s Optimized Checkout Suite to embed prebuilt UIs directly into its checkout pages. For example, URBN used the Payment Element to present website customers with options to pay by credit and debit cards and Klarna. URBN also enabled Link, Stripe’s accelerated checkout solution. With Link, customers who have saved their bank account information can complete transactions without re-entering it. Because Stripe’s Optimized Checkout Suite enables businesses to accept more than 100 payment methods in 195+ countries, URBN was able to continue offering its existing payment methods to process both website and in-app payments.

URBN followed a similar phased rollout to integrate Terminal into its retail stores. The company first sent BBPOS WisePOS E readers to its Urban Outfitters stores in Canada and then began adding the devices at its US Urban Outfitters stores. Integrating via the Terminal Java SDK allowed URBN to retain its existing enterprise POS software, and URBN was also able to configure device screens to display the store’s brand name.

Terminal works seamlessly with URBN’s Payments implementation, creating a true unified commerce platform. With Stripe, URBN received full transaction lifecycle support for complex cross-channel purchase scenarios, including a universal payment token, flexible auth flows, cross-channel refunds and returns, and consistent branding across all hardware. Stripe’s authorization and capture functionality also supported URBN’s complex needs to unlock optimal purchase experiences for shoppers. These options supported key elements of URBN’s customer service model, including the ability to custom-order furniture, to buy online and pick up in store, or to place an online order in store if a particular item or size is out of stock.

Results

Tailored solutions accommodate multibrand complexity

URBN’s diverse portfolio, including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People, demanded a flexible payment solution. Stripe’s adaptable platform allowed each brand to maintain its unique identity while benefiting from a centralized payment infrastructure. “Stripe’s willingness to bring their product leaders to the table and truly listen to our needs was a game-changer,” Frieman said.

Stripe reliability supports peak promotional periods

Stripe’s robust infrastructure proved invaluable during URBN’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday period and Free People’s annual 24-hour sale. With 99.9999% uptime, increased API rate limits, and dedicated monitoring, Stripe ensured a smooth experience for URBN’s customers during peak shopping times. The implementation of a Stripe-wide code freeze, coupled with specialized on-call support and daily performance reports, demonstrated Stripe’s commitment to URBN’s success during these important retail events.

Future-proofing retail operations through a commitment to innovation

URBN and Stripe’s collaboration extends beyond current needs, focusing on future retail innovations. From evolving the checkout to be increasingly frictionless by auto-filling payment details to enhancing the buying experience and exploring advanced fraud prevention and identity management, Stripe is helping URBN stay ahead of retail trends. “Stripe’s forward-thinking approach aligns perfectly with our vision for the future of retail,” Frieman said.