Fashion retailer Gap has rolled out its new loyalty app – called Gap+ – in an attempt to develop a much more personalised approach to marketing and discounting and to kick start its omni-channel strategy.
Soft-launched last month in the UK and Ireland, the app offers users a more individualised feed of images and offers based on basic user information inputted at sign up. Shoppers using the app also receive a 5% discount on each purchase they make through the app and they will also get content from bloggers and other product imagery served to them based on past purchases.
As well as helping to fast track Gap into the age of personalization – and get away from the heavy and somewhat indiscriminate discounting it currently undertakes via email – the app is a first step into using digital to help drive footfall in to the chain’s bricks and mortar stores, says the company.
Speaking at the Decoded Fashion Summit in London last week, Andrew Ellis, Gap’s senior manager, Europe CRM, said: “The relevancy will start to show through in terms of what the customer behaviours are purchase wise, but where that can then exacerbate further is how we react in the app. Where we eventually want to take it is that every interaction within the app counts. For example, if you look at certain blogger’s style content and certain products that you click through to online but don’t buy, how can we work to serve you that product in store.”
Gap has already been working in the US with tech firm Vibes to develop loyalty marketing and wallet services, which are now coming to the UK through a partnership between Vibes and veoo. Expect Gap to start to be one of the leaders in loyalty, personalisation and omni-channel as it leapfrogs brands that started these processes earlier.
