Express Makes Mobile A Key Part Of Holiday Strategy
By Anna Rose Welch, Editorial & Community Director, Advancing RNA
Company gives Millennial customers what they want and is seeing e-commerce success
In an effort to better meet the needs of their mobile-savvy customers this holiday season, Express has continued to make enhancements to its mobile strategy. Eric Gohs, director of digital marketing at Express, says, “Our guy and girl are definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to mobile, so we’re taking a mobile-first approach with just about anything we do.”
The newest enhancement to their mobile platform includes a new series of iPhone, iPad, and Android apps that enable existing Express Next credit card holders to view their payments history, make purchases, and pay existing balances. The apps also provide guests in-store offers for locations closest to them, along with other text-message promotions.
The company has made this new app an important priority during the holiday season, considering the fact there are a large number of retailers offering impressive deals to win over customers this important season. The more deals to be had from one retailer, the better, and Express did just that to increase traffic both in stores and online on Black Friday. App users were able to download a digital coupon book of discounts that could be redeemed in-store or online. As Express CMO Liz Crystal says, these new mobile investments are absolutely necessary for building a strong relationship with its customers. She says, “These promotions let us tell our customers how important we know mobile devices are to them. Their smartphones are never out of reach.”
Indeed, the company has done quite a bit to cater to its customer base’s interest in technology. For the past several years, the company has been serious about exploring the possibilities that exist in mobile and social media channels. Earlier this year, for example, the company began to explore the realms of QR codes, SMS, social media and mobile Web to bolster attention and sales for the NBC reality television show, Fashion Star. This was an important attempt at engaging their customer base, not only for the show, but to help guarantee customers get what they want, as the winning designer from Fashion Star launches their collection at Express, Macy’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue. To connect customers with the show, Express stores displayed in-store signage with the URL to the campaign’s microsite and QR codes that provided visitors with insider information about the show. The company has also made use of QR codes, SMS calls to action, and in-store mobile bar codes in the past to increase sales and drive loyalty program sign-ups.
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It would seem that these mobile calls to action have been working to bolster the company’s e-commerce sales. In fact, third quarter e-commerce sales grew 29.2 percent to $71.2 million, up from $55.1 million. For the first nine months, the company earned $201.8 million from e-commerce — a 34.4 percent increase from $250.2 million in 2012. These figures have far exceeded the company’s expectations. As CEO Michael Weiss says, “On a full-year basis, we expect e-commerce to represent approximately 15 percent of our total sales, a level reached far more quickly than we had originally anticipated.” To keep customers happy, Weiss says that the company will be rolling out a new web design with a new look, easier navigation, faster checkout process, and a more personalized experience to keep people busy on their phones, tablets, and desktops into 2014.
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