Lane Bryant sent offers to customers through targeted SMS broadcasts. The brand's goal was to build relationships with existing customers to increase in-store visits, sales, and loyalty. It wanted to create a positive shopping experience for customers while also increasing its mobile presence.
Objective and Context:
Lane Bryant’s overall objective was to build out its relationship with customers via several touch points to drive in-store visits and brand loyalty. A main focus was on making the shopping experience better for women who frequent Lane Bryant retail locations and the brand’s website.
The retailer had a mobile database, but it was sending blanketed broadcasts instead of messages that were specific to the individual shopper. The brand began working with the agency Vibes to increase its mobile presence with the goals of driving revenue through multiple channels and touchpoints, increasing in-store conversions and purchases, and making shoppers more loyal to the brand. Lane Bryant also wanted to segment and personalize its broadcasts to offer shoppers more personalized experiences. Marketers targeted shoppers based on which stores they shopped at, whether it was at an outlet or retail store, and if they were members of the Real Woman Dollar program.
The main goal was to build out the database and then, through a variety of campaigns, maintain and engage customers through their mobile phones. First, marketers began by engaging with loyal customers to drive in-store visits and conversions through SMS broadcasts to subscribers. One example of this was an in-store jeans event advertised over SMS. Shoppers who came into a store and tried on a pair of jeans were automatically given $10 off their purchases that day. If they purchased jeans, they received $25 off. This, and other in-store events, were crucial to driving mobile subscribers into stores and showed the value of the in-store shopping experience.
Target Audience:
The typical Lane Bryant shopper is a 25- to 55-year-old woman who is trendy, fashionable, and confident. The brand’s voice and language focused on self-confidence and female empowerment. It spoke to customers as their best friends would. It supported them and provided the best experience to make them feel empowered in what they wore. This tone and language was regularly reflected in Lane Bryant’s mobile campaigns and CTAs.
Creative Strategy:
Lane Bryant integrated mobile into its already successful marketing strategy to drive deeper engagement with customers. With mobile, the brand was able to interact with subscribers on a one-to-one level through their phones. Lane Bryant consistently used brand language in its campaigns, and utilized SMS and emojis to feature eye-catching content to engage customers. The language was empowering in each SMS broadcast, wallet offer, or mobile experience.
The Lane Bryant shoppers were the perfect audience for mobile since they were always on their phones and saving offers to the wallet apps instead of bringing in paper coupons. Driving shoppers into stores using mobile was a key to success because these shoppers looked to store associates to help them shop and viewed them as friends and shopping assistants.
When Lane Bryant began working with Vibes, its main objective was to build out the database with generalized acquisition programs and broadcasts. The retailer was focused on providing a more enriching and engaging experience for customers. It pushed engaging content through segmented broadcasts, in-store contests, and mobile wallet promotions and offers.
Overall Campaign Execution:
Lane Bryant chose mobile broadcasts along with in-store signage and direct mail pieces to advertise its campaigns to consumers. The Vibes Mobile Engagement Platform was used to interact with the brand’s customers by integrating into its existing marketing technology.
Mobile Execution:
Lane Bryant integrated mobile into its overall marketing strategy. It already had a mobile database. However, marketers wanted to create a holistic program that engaged customer and created one-to-one relationships. They started by sending out different types of targeted messages like SMS, MMS, wallet offers, and a “Welcome Center” campaign. The Lane Bryant client base was very involved with their mobile devices, so they were receptive to the messages.
Mobile bridged the gap between touchpoints to reach consumers where they were in a timely manner and with relevant content. In the first six months of the campaign, Lane Bryant’s client list grew 30 percent, which was 16 percent higher than other retailers during the same period. By sending shoppers messages and offers, Lane Bryant achieved an average 20 percent wallet save rate and average click through rate of 14 percent. The brand has since doubled its mobile marketing budget.
