Engaging consumers where, when, and how they want to be engagement is the mission of customer experience professionals. In a marketing landscape exploding with new technology and legions of customers constantly connected to the digital sphere, this is quickly becoming the new normal. Winning customer loyalty requires offering a meaningful experience across relevant channels to target specific audience segments.
The go-to customer engagement channel in this digital age is quickly becoming the mobile app. But with so many brands entering this mobile space, there is danger in becoming swallowed by the all “noise.”
This is why offering a high degree of relevancy is so important, which is exactly what Champs Sports is seeking to achieve with its new Mobile app.
Champs Sports, a division of Foot Locker and one of North America’s largest mall-based specialty athletic footwear and apparel retailers, is launching an iOS and Android-based app to give its customers “one-stop” access to a comprehensive array of product release information.
“Everything in digital experience is about convenience and utility - there has to be enduring value,” David Lokes, Champs Sports VP of Marketing, told Loyalty360. “In developing this app, we looked at most-used areas of our website and most frequently asked questions from our customers in stores and then tried to deliver these services in one app with an emphasis on minimizing clicks.”
Specifically, this app will target sneaker aficionados, who are a small but highly enthusiastic group of consumers that crave news and products on all the latest upcoming shoe releases. It is not uncommon for some fervent devotees to line up for hours outside a store, waiting in anticipation for the latest pair of limited edition shoes.
These customers will now find upcoming sneaker release lists, specific launch dates, and even the exact locations where the most highly sought-after sneakers can be purchased.
“Our customers are passionate about sneakers,” Lokes said. “They want to know what's coming out next and where they can find it. We really tried to make getting answers to these two questions as quick and easy as possible. Our hope is that being useful will give us the opportunity with our customers to also make it more fun, and then be even more useful in future releases.”
Of course, more casual sneaker fans can also find these features useful. But, in a larger sense, the app demonstrates Champs Sports’ understanding and acknowledgment that certain consumer segments will find certain customer experience particularly relevant and meaningful.
“We’re excited about offering our new App to our customers across the country, and we look forward to frequent updates that will focus on bringing them information and convenience in finding the freshest shoes and apparel they are looking for each and every week,” Lokes concluded.
In addition to keeping enthusiasts informed on all sneaker releases, the app will also include access to a digital shop, which will allow online browsing and purchasing.
At the time of its launch, the app will also allow access to the Champs Sports VIP loyalty program, and provide easy access to account balances, member level status, upgrade options, and more.