Laybuy gearing up for big US push

Just three months after listing on the Australian stock exchange Laybuy founder Gary Rohloff is eyeing another big leap for the Kiwi buy-now, pay-later company.

Laybuy has begun betatesting a launch into the United States market and by April is planning a full roll-out across the States.

The US retail market is worth US$5.5 trillion ($7.7t) with e-commerce making up around US$730 billion of that.

Retailing stalwart Rohloff only began the business in 2017 after a conversation with family around his kitchen table about a safe and easy alternative to credit cards to buy a pair of jeans.

Since then he has expanded the Auckland-headquartered business into Australia, the United Kingdom and is now targeting New York, California and Texas.

“It’s always been on the plan for us to look towards the US because we have so many retailers from the UK who are transatlantic. Like the New Zealand ones we had into Australia.”

It is now carrying out testing with the Hut Group — a UK e-commerce conglomerate which owns health and beauty brands including Look Fantastic, Mybag, Glossybox and ESPA and also sells into the US.

“We just want to beta test some of the systems and processes we have got in place. As a result of Covid, trying to manage it from afar and not being able to get boots on the ground, it’s not problematic — we just want to make sure we have ironed out any inevitable wrinkles.

“We have indicated we want to be out of beta-testing by April — and that is to ensure we have got the infrastructure support in the US to support our retailers as we add them on to the platform.”

Rohloff says so far the company is working through a couple of agents on the ground in the US who are helping with some introductions while he is trying to recruit a senior manager to look after the roll-out on the ground.

“This time of year, Covid, everything else, hiring people via Zoom just takes longer, especially senior people.”

Rohloff said Laybuy had recently integrated its business with the Silicon Valley bank.

“They are doing the transactional banking for us — we have HSBC in the UK.”

He is predicting a quick take-up once it goes live in the US.

“When this goes in the US it will go fast — and we want to make sure everything is all in place.”

It will initially target merchants in the health and beauty space, fast fashion, footwear and lingerie.

“We are partnered with the likes of JD Sports, Boohoo, WH Smith all out of the UK — they all have presence in the US as well.”

The buy-now, pay-later model, where consumers buy goods and get them upfront while paying them off, has only been around for a few years.

But Rohloff said it was already well-known in the US.

“It’s absolutely massive up there. Afterpay has been up there for a couple of years — they are the trailblazers up there. They’ve got Sezzle, Klarna — there are a lot of players up there.”

But that did not mean it was a crowded market, he said.

“The most crowded and competitive market in the world is Australia. We are doing okay there.”

Laybuy’s revenue has been boosted this year by Covid and the growing need for online sales.

It forecast it would do $61m across New Zealand, Australia and the UK in November but it was actually $71m — that was up from $45m in October.

“We are seeing a continued strength in that momentum into December and it is across all three territories.”

Christmas is its busiest time of year and further outbreaks of Covid in the UK were also driving more online shopping.

Rohloff won’t put a dollar figure on what the US market is worth to them at this point.

“Once we have got a better feel for what our traction looks like I think we will have a better feel for that.”

When this goes in the US it will go fast — and we want to make sure everything is all in place. Gary Rohloff, Laybuy founder