As m-commerce starts to gain traction in the Australian market, international retailers are redefining its scope to build new experiences and opportunities for consumers.
Victoria’s Secret is leveraging its iPhone and Android apps with a new spring break campaign that layers image recognition and games on top of shopping features.
In doing so, Victoria’s Secret launched a four week seasonal campaign in the lead up to spring break to drive sales and brand engagement using games and activities.
Each week, users were challenged to find and scan a specific Victoria’s Secret picture with the app. These images were then posted to Victoria’s Secret’s website, in stores and on college campuses. The first 100 users to find and scan an image received a free gift.
As an example, the first challenge encouraged users to find a model in-store posing next to the letter “P”.
Once finding and scanning the picture, a landing page promoting spring break loungewear was retrieved within the app and could be shopped. Users could also listen to a playlist on 8tracks via the app.
Three additional in-app challenges were available each week through March 8. In addition to the photo campaign, the app also included seasonal photo filters and decals that users could use to customise their spring break photos, as well as a weather forecast to plan spring break trips.
Victoria’s Secret sent out SMS and email blasts to promote the new spring break initiative and also appears on the Victoria’s Secret’s website.
Another mobile-driven service has been developed by U.S. department store Sears, which enables consumers to pick up their online purchases at any of its stores without leaving their car.
Using the Shop Your Way mobile app, customer purchases are delivered to their car within five minutes of arrival. After successful testing, the program is now available across all Sears stores.
Sears has received positive feedback from users of the new service, with convenience noted as its greatest value.
The service is commonly used by customers with small children who want to make a quick stop, senior citizens with limited movement and those who live in inclement climates.
Sears reports that free store pick-up is already high among loyalty members, which lead to the introduction of the in-vehicle pickup.
To use the service, customers select the pick-up option when placing an order online, input their arrival vehicle details at checkout and then sign in to Shop Your Way to enable location services.
Once arriving at a store, customers pull into one of several reserved parking bays, check-in to Shop Your Way through the “Shop In” feature and select the in-vehicle pickup icon. A count-down timer then begins, and within five minutes or less, a store associate will deliver purchase.
The in-vehicle pick-up service is free for Shop Your Way app members and takes advantage of the recently introduced Shop In feature.
Members who check-in via Shop In while at or nearby a Sears or Kmart store can also unlock special deals and personalised offers, take advantage of e-coupons, access sweepstakes, as well as leverage price and product comparisons and customer reviews.
Users can also chat with friends and other members, send photos, receive shopping advice from the Shop Your Way community or obtain real-time access to store associates.
Mobile beacon technology is also being used by fashion retailers to enhance their servcie offering. For example, U.S. based jewellery retailer Alex and Ani is rolling out mobile beacons in 40 of its stores to help consumers better understand the brand’s line of products.
Alex and Ani is also implementing the technology into department stores where the brand’s products are sold. The iBeacon technology is powered by Swirl’s mobile platform and consumer-facing application.
Using push notifications, Alex and Ani can “ping” consumers who are nearby to a store with relevant offers and deals.
The idea behind the technology is that brands can experiment with finding the right message and distance that best resonates with customers through in-app messages.
For Alex and Ani, the brand’s products often involve back stories on items, and iBeacon is one way that the company relays that information to consumers.
Alex and Ani has also used other forms of in-store technology, including mobile point-of-sale technology for the 2012 holiday season that resulted in a 318 per cent increase in sales.
Erika Pacini is a research consultant at the Australian Centre for Retail Studies (ACRS), Monash University.