Starbucks assembled an all-star technology team to create a
payment system that uses a 2D barcode scanner in the app that works
with POS systems at each Starbucks store. The Starbucks app goes
hand-in-hand with the "My Starbucks Rewards" loyalty program, which
currently holds $1.2
billion of customer funds. Customers can load money onto it and
when used, they earn points (called "stars") and other rewards,
promotions and offers exclusive to members.
The Starbucks branded app allows customers to load money, get
exclusive deals and even pay for coffee or baked goods before they
get to their local Starbucks store (then jump the line when they
arrive). Within the user's "feed" in the app, there are
announcements about new drinks and the option to order them within
the app. There are promotions for Starbucks' exclusive music and
the option to listen to samples of songs, directly within the
app.
Starbucks geniously takes traditional brand promotion with its
loyalty program and combines it with forward-thinking app
innovation to create diehard customer loyalty. Starbucks gives
consumers a feeling of exclusivity with the app's original content
and level of rewards given. This creates a unique customer
experience that keeps consumers engaged and excited for more.
Nike
In the 80s and 90s, one of Nike's biggest marketing strategies
was sponsoring big-name athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael
Jordan. Now, with Nike's history of success with branded mobile
apps, marketing is all about connecting directly with consumers in
order to inspire action.
Nike first developed a branded app a decade ago, in 2006, for
the iPod. It was a tracking software and sensor for runners.
Between then and now, Nike has developed a few other apps: Nike+
for runners, Nike+ Training Club and Nike+ Fuel Lab, which all assist runners
and athletes in tracking their progress by setting goals, tailoring
workouts and the ability to socially share their efforts with their
online community.
Collectively, these apps boast a user base of over 28 million
people. That is 28 million people to which the brand has direct
access. With this greater customer intimacy, Nike gains invaluable
insights and information about its user base. With access to all
this information, Nike could have used it to aggressively drive
sales from the app, but instead has brilliantly created a real
athlete community by means of its apps. Through this genuine
community Nike has built from the ground up, it fosters intense
brand loyalty which translates to revenue down the line.
Sephora
Beauty brand Sephora has raised the app bar to impressive
heights with its innovative and
highly interactive app experience. The two latest features have
gotten a lot of attention: the "Beauty Uncomplicator" and the
"Swipe it, Shop it" feature. The "Beauty Uncomplicator" is a fun,
fill-in-the-blank approach to finding the right beauty product. The
"Beauty Uncomplicator" uses Tinder's design, whereby users can
swipe left or right if they like the "look" with which they are
presented.
The app's other interactive features include the "Product
Try-On" and "Virtual Tutorials" by which users can virtually try on
products like false eyelashes and lipstick to see what different
products would actually look like on their faces. Deborah Yeh,
senior VP-marketing for the beauty brand, says these highly
interactive features on the app aren't just part of a marketing
campaign, but all about the user's experience. No matter what
interactive feature the user is playing with, there is always an
option to purchase the product within the app.
As Snapchat continues to capture the younger generation's
attention with silly interactive augmented reality, Sephora
understands consumers' desire for AR in real purchasing decisions,
which it delivers brilliantly in its interactive and feature-rich
branded app.
This is the
future
Starbucks, Nike and Sephora show us (and the world) how branded
apps can be a sales, marketing and customer engagement tool all in
one. These three companies strive for old-fashioned brand loyalty
by means of their innovative apps with features that range from an
advanced ecommerce payment system to augmented beauty reality to
fitness tracking systems. Brands that wish to grow can't ignore
their innovation strategy in regard to mobile apps.
However, having a branded app is not the only way top-tier
brands can thrive in this mobile and app marketing age. Always
remember the end clientele, the context of your product, why it is
used, what benefit it brings, and what pain point it eases. These
classic marketing questions are key, as ads have become more
intimate than ever, entering the sanctuary of our mobile phones.
With companies competing for limited consumer attention, we will
see more and more original and cutting-edge branding strategies
vying for loyalty, swipes and clicks.
