Big Lots has a lot riding on Jennifer, which it hopes will stimulate customer engagement and customer loyalty.
Who, you ask, is Jennifer?
“Jennifer” is a design persona, an archetype that is representative of a key customer segment at Big Lots created a few years ago. Big Lots CEO David Campisi believes the design persona of Jennifer will develop a new mentality to focus on her and all facets of the business will pay off and begin to drive positive comps over time.
During the first quarter, Big Lots, introduced Jennifer to a new campaign, Shop Big Lots First, “with clever television spots and online videos reminding Jennifer to always start a shopping trip at Big Lots,” Campisi said during the company’s May 29 first-quarter earnings conference call, according to Seeking Alpha.
“We expanded our reach online with social media and digital content and recently launched Big Lots Latino,” Campisi said. “This new online platform is just one additional step toward diversifying up from a multicultural perspective. The marketing team also opportunistically leveraged the launch of b*loved and AKC Select brands with an online campaign for Jennifer to vote her favorites hashtag babies versus puppies. Our marketing team is active and looking for new and different ways to connect with Jennifer.”
What’s more, Big Lots is making significant progress with its store evolution.
“Roles and responsibilities have been clearly defined and communicated to our stores team and have been warmly embraced,” Campisi explained. “We have implemented and trained around new processes and equipment for our Dock-to-Stock initiative. Dock-to-Stock is our name for the process which efficiently moves product off our trucks through the backroom and onto the sales floor. We are far from done and are at the beginning of the beginning. But I believe over the next several quarters and years, the store revolution will be a game changer for Big Lots.”
The three legged store of merchandising, marketing, and stores, Campisi added, has “truly raised their game over the last 12-plus months. And I’m convinced Jennifer is everywhere and others have noticed and appreciate the change here at Big Lots. There is a significant amount of our associates from all walks of the business who are involved along with a hard working group of consultants, all with one goal to be able to transact with Jennifer online. She has asked for an online shopping experience, told us what she would like to buy, and actually even helped us to design the website and experience. I’m excited about ecommerce and our future omni-channel opportunities.”