As tablets and smart phone sales boom, more people than ever are using their mobile devices to shop from home. This digital shopping experience takes home shopping above the eponymous television channel.
According to a new survey from SeeWhy, a Boston-based e-commerce shopping cart recovery company, more than 1,000 U.S. tablet owners reported they used their devices to purchase items from the living room, bedroom, kitchen, outdoors, and bathroom. So if shoppers can now, literally, buy from anywhere, retail apps have to be smarter than ever to stand out on the crowded App Store shelf.
Here are three recent releases that are changing the e-commerce sphere and doing digital right.
Free People
Women’s clothing brand Free People released its first mobile app late last month to huge results. In its first week alone, the app accounted for between 7 and 10 percent of all online sales.
What makes the app so popular? First, it doesn’t revolve solely around sales. Rather, the app offers an interactive social experience. Customers can use the app to create a profile, upload photos of themselves in merchandise to share with their friends and followers, and post product reviews. Free People takes it a step further, making the app versatile enough to use both in and outside of the store. Users can locate nearby stores, then once there, scan product tags to read posted reviews, or search for additional sizes.
Initial awareness was promoted through the brand’s blog and social channels, including Facebook and YouTube. Consumers can also find a tab on their regular retail page promoting the app.
Swirl
Facebook meets Pinterest in the mobile app Swirl. Released last year, the app makes the shopping experience a social one. Users follow brands and view other users’ “clips” (like pins) for inspiration, with the option of sharing clips or buying them. While you’re shopping, make sure to check out exclusive offers and discounts Swirl suggests.
The catch? The app doesn’t just put emphasis on at-home shopping, but encourages brick-and-mortar visits, as well, with the new Swirl In-Store Experience. The app is activated when users walk into participating stores, and acts as a personal shopping assistant, connecting the user to limited-time offers and suggestions.
More than 200 top fashion brands use the app, from Zara and Tory Burch to Timberland and Puma. Swirl In-Store, launched in late May and expected to grow, is initially working with six brands – Alex and Ani, Timberland, Kenneth Cole, The Blue Jeans Bar, Scott James, and Exhale Spa – in 13 locations in New York and Boston.
Anthropologie
Here’s the story of an app that started small and generic and grew into a program worthy of space on your mobile device. The retailer’s 2011 digital debut was initially promoted through it’s mobile website. The app merely its catalog transferred into mobile viewing and purchasing, though, and there’s not much exciting about that.
It still flies under the radar in terms of awareness, but as time has progressed, the app is near the top of many App Store and fashion insider lists. More importantly, it has been fleshed out to be more interactive. One great feature is the “outfit builder” where, not only can you build a look with different Anthropologie products, but you can build one around pieces you already own, simply by snapping a picture. It’s like a 21st century version of Cher’s high-tech, outfit-planning closet in Clueless. And what’s not to love about that?
Key takeaways:
What is it about these retail apps that makes them so effective at changing the e-commerce landscape? They all fit certain crucial criteria:
- Be functional. A retail app can’t just be about viewing products. Now, more than ever, users want to make purchases at the tap of a finger.
- Be social. Your products deserve to be shown off, and users want the chance to share their taste with their friends. Whether you take a Pinterest-like approach, like Swirl, or let users get outfit feedback from friends, a successful app needs to be highly shareable.
- Look at the bigger picture. Anthropologie’s app success shows that it’s not just about selling your specific products; it’s about selling your brand vision and inviting users to be a part of it.
Additionally, think about your role as a retailer and weigh whether you should create your own app or partner with an existing one. Anthropologie and Free People both have a large social following, particularly on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. Together, they share 1.7 million Facebook fans and 1.1 million Instagram followers. Creating an in-house app is a logical next step to harness the spending power of those fans.
However, many retailers don’t have the same built-in fan base or signature brand image that would make their app appealing to customers. In most cases, pairing with a popular app is the sensible, yet still innovative, approach to reaching both existing and new customers, acquire more fans, and take advantage of an already established platform to save yourself from development hiccups.
