What makes a clothing item iconic, let alone a whole line? The key to fashion success is often in developing something unique that transcends the traditionally short fashion cycle. Consider the legendary wrap dress of Diane von Furstenberg. The eponymous line was born in 1972 and continues to adorn women around the world walking their own runways in life.

How do you keep a fashion brand timeless in the digital age? By keeping customers top of mind when building an online purchase experience.

DVF distributes its luxury clothing line to women across the globe in more than 70 countries, including via 111 DVF-owned and partner stores. Yet, its fraud solution included a manual review process that involved calling customers to verify orders, which added unwanted friction and slower fulfillment. In addition, entire countries were blacklisted for higher-than-normal risk of fraud, preventing the brand from expanding into new markets.

“We were reliant on solutions that weren’t keeping up with our needs, and it was hurting the experience that we were able to provide our customers.” — Felipe G. Araujo, senior director of ecommerce at DVF

With global growth in mind, DVF wanted to ease friction in the ecommerce ordering process and increase approval ratings among online consumers. So, it turned to its ecommerce partner, DEG, to come up with a solution.

As a world-renowned women’s fashion line, DVF could easily expand its international presence with the right online experience for all customers.

Consumers who shop online expect a smooth process to complete their purchases. When the purchase process is slow and cumbersome, customers begin to think the purchase isn’t worth the additional time to complete, and will exit without buying anything.

Merkle dove into DVF’s manual review process for fraud prevention to get a first-hand look at the cumbersome customer experience it provided. That’s when the agency found a solution that would meet the brand’s business and customer needs.

In order to alleviate the friction between brand and consumers, Merkle looked for a technology solution that could also help DVF expand internationally without the threat of fraudulent sales. The fraud-prevention software that stood out was Riskified, an ecommerce revenue protection and fraud prevention platform.

DVF agreed to partner with Riskified to create a fraud solution that didn’t require a manual review for purchases. Riskified allowed DVF to avoid international blacklists that blocked revenue from entire markets. It also helped reduce the number of steps in the order verification process for the benefit of both the company and customer. Relying on an automated solution gave DVF valuable time and resources to be devoted toward greater growth and improving customer satisfaction.

“I like that Riskified increases approval rates, plugs in easily, and can work with anyone. It reduces obstacles. We thought it would be ideal for DVF, and we were right.” — Ben Noonan, former director of commerce at Merkle

“Partnering with [Merkle] to implement our service into DVF’s Salesforce store was a great experience. The [Merkle] team understands both business and technical requirements, so the experience was smooth for everyone involved.” — Matt Lifshotz, head of partnerships at Riskified

Since going live, the fraud solution for DVF has disposed of the manual review process and allowed the retailer to optimize its operations, increase approval rates, and eliminate the cost of chargebacks. With no international blacklists and zero automatic order declines, DVF has increased its international customer base and revenue. In addition, Merkle and Riskified increased the brand’s approval rating from 92.5 percent to 97.75 percent.

“Not only has [Merkle] and Riskified freed our customer service team from fraud review, it’s surpassed our approval rate targets. We’ve gone from an approval rate of 92.5% to nearly 98%! It’s a huge boost to revenue and a clear win-win.” — Felipe G. Araujo, senior director of ecommerce at DVF

With its upgraded ecommerce experience, the legendary fashion line is available to continue its legacy, reaching the next generation of technology-savvy consumers.