#CHANGEMAKERS: KLARNA
Alexandre Fernandes, Head of Business Development at Klarna Portugal, talks to ModaLisboa about Community, Innovation and Empathy.
The sponsoring brands of MODALISBOA METAPHYSICAL are, in essence, powerful engines of change. #CHANGEMAKERS are short interviews that give voice to those who work daily to build a solid, transparent, inclusive and sustainable future.
For this season, Klarna joins Lisboa Fashion Week to tell us its story and revolutionize the way we consume — but specially to show us how technology should be created with people in mind.
This is the first Lisboa Fashion Week of 2022 and, together, we want to start the year in a mood of change. What are the fundamental values that guide you today?
Klarna lives by the values and principles of its leadership, believing that everyone is a leader. It’s not just a pretty catch phrase, but something we truly believe in. We have eight leadership principles that guide our actions and our growth, being an antidote to bureaucracy and a guide that guarantees our leadership in the industry where we operate.
Our most important principle is customer obsession. Understanding consumers with an absolute dedication to ensuring that customer and customer service comes first is where it all starts.
Creativity is at the root of everything we do. What still needs to be created?
Everything we know can change quickly. We have this very clear example with the pandemic. Who would have thought that so many companies would continue to operate, but remotely? Who knew that so many people would shop online in a never-before-seen explosion? These are just examples, but they fully illustrate Klarna’s position. By being focused on the consumer and what he seeks and expects from us and the brands with which he interacts, we are prepared for the paradigm to change overnight. At that time, we create what is necessary to remain relevant to the consumer so that he continues to see Klarna as a useful partner he can trust.
We are running towards an era where the consumer is moved less for the product and more for the purpose. What steps are you taking in that direction?
These are steps that brands are taking to stay relevant to consumers. Values such as sustainability, balance and well-being or health have gained increasing weight in consumer decision-making, so it is natural that brands want to see these values reflected in their products and positioning. Klarna exists so that consumers can access these brands, filter their searches by what they consider most relevant and be able to pay safely, simply and flexibly.
What continues to inspire you every day?
The power of technology is endless and the way it can help consumers expand their shopping possibilities safely, simply and flexibly is a huge inspiration in itself. It’s what moves us. In the same way that our main value is customer centralization, this same value is our inspiration, because what the consumer is looking for today is different from what he is looking for tomorrow. Thus, we have an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
What do you believe to be the role of brands in building a more humane, transparent, ethical and inclusive future?
Brands have enormous power of relationship with all of us. Whether it’s fashion, decoration, catering or services, brands are part of everyone’s life and the way we relate to them goes far beyond the product and its quality. A consumer’s relationship with a brand is stronger the more deeply rooted the values of that brand are in its positioning. The more humane, transparent, ethical and inclusive they are, the closer they are to their audiences and the better able they are to create a close and lasting relationship with them. Klarna plays a very important role here, as it is a firm bridge of trust between both brands and consumers.
Community building is one of the greatest powers — and responsibilities — of a brand. How would you describe your community?
The Klarna community makes us proud every day. After all, we are more than 100 million globally in this large family that uses Klarna to simplify and make their payments more flexible with complete security. What is a community if not a group of people who share the same values and the same culture? By being steadfast in focusing on the customer and what is relevant to the customer, we are committing to long-term relationships that create a unique and close-knit community.
And since Lisboa Fashion Week is part of that same community: if you only had three words to describe your relationship with ModaLisboa, what would they be?
Creativity, Innovation and Technology.