growth and expanding its international footprint, while staying true to its glamorous brand and culture. “We have no plans to slow down right now. We are a young, ambitious company and so we are pushing along our global growth strategy,” she says. Honey Birdette opened its first US store in Westfield Century City, Los Angeles in late 2018. At the end of 2020, the company had six stores in the US, including two which opened during the pandemic, and three in the UK.  “We continue to see exceptional levels of growth in the US. It has been hard with the constant opening and closing of stores due to government restrictions, however, our Century City store continues to be our best performing store in the portfolio and our online numbers are doubling year-on-year,” explains Kidd. Another location is set to open in Las Vegas in early 2021 and the retailer is also pursuing a number of other opportunities in the US as well as Europe.  After the uncertainty of last year, Kidd has had some time to consider the lessons learnt during that time.  “A total rollercoaster! [Last year was] like nothing ever seen in the retail world and it has been so unpredictable,” she reflects. “It has been an incredible learning experience. We always knew as a company that we were agile and dynamic but the last few months have really tested this. You have to be ready to respond so quickly to customers changing needs and behaviors as well as different government restrictions.”  “As a global business, we’ve had a number of territories to consider with a range of different rules and restrictions so we’ve had to be on the ball constantly.”  Online to offline Across Honey Birdette, Kidd says sales have been “incredible” during the year, thanks to a combination of the brand’s physical store and online capabilities.  “We have really focused on our company mantra of ‘digital first’ which means that we offer our customers the same great experience online as we do in store. This has opened up such a wide market, as well as catering for our existing customers who perhaps don’t want to, or can’t get into their local shopping centres. We have a great returns policy and customer service team so there’s really no risk to buying online,” she says. “We’ve also seen exceptionally strong performance from our stores. There is the other type of customer who wants the personalised service approach which our in-store Honeys are excellent at.”  Since lockdown, savvy retailers like Honey Birdette have embraced the challenge of social distancing restrictions by offering customers more personalised appointment-based visits. During the peak of the pandemic, only two customers were allowed in the stores per appointment and the doors were closed to prevent others from entering.  These bespoke experiences have paid off for Honey Birdette. According to the brand, the average transaction value from the sales through booked appointments is 57 per cent higher than the usual benchmark. It’s now a permanent part of the Honey Birdette store experience, which has since evolved in the past year. “We now offer our customers a range of appointment options and we will be rolling out a VIP offering very soon where customers will be able to book out the store exclusively and have a tailored-made experience, say for a date night or a special occasion,” explains Kidd. “Whilst travel is off the cards, people are looking for other ways to feel good and have some escapism. Retailers who can be dynamic in this changing environment and offer customers an experience, not just a product, I believe we will really thrive in 2021.”  This article was published as part of the Australian Retail Outlook for 2021. To download the report, click here.