MOTHERCARE
Mothercare is a British retailer that provides products for expectant mothers, and children up to 8 years old. Shopping is the basic feature of their app, where you can browse all of their products, view images and watch videos, read user reviews, or build a wishlist. Users can also locate stores via the app. Sharing and "liking" products on social media is also available in-app, providing organic user-generated social marketing for the brand.
However, the Mothercare app has a number of features other than shopping. A baby name generator lets users search or randomly pick from over 40 000 names, listen to their pronunciations, or even make "name wishlists." Another feature provides a collection of music for babies such as lullabies, and lets the user record their own song or message, which can later be used to help familiarize the baby with the voices of family memebers. The app also includes ready-made checklists for expectant mothers or newborn babies - giving the user even more shopping incentive. There is a pregnancy calendar, where users can record events such as their baby kicking. Finally, the app provides a big educational resource of video advice for soon-to-be mothers and fathers.
This additional functionality aims to provide for everything a woman would need to know or keep track of during her pregnancy. The goal is to have customers using the app every day in their daily parenting activities, thus staying on top of their minds. The brand is then the first one that comes to mind when the customer needs to make a baby-related purchase.
In conclusion, the app's main goal is not immediately selling products, but building a relationship with prospective customers and humanizing the brand. Thus, the customers become loyal to the brand and bring great long-term profits.
FREE PEOPLE
Free People is a US clothing brand under the Urban Outfitters umbrella that runs brilliant digital marketing campaigns. They even launched their own fashion-centered, Instagram-powered social network: FP Me, which they merged with their online shopping experience. FP Me is optimized for mobile, and the brand retail app is built around it.
When browsing products in the app, customers initially see photos of the clothes and accessories on models. They can also watch videos, read reviews or ask questions about the product. They can save products in small "collections" or build a regular wishlist. The brand also provides trends and lookbooks built on different personas, complimenting the clothes with inspiring moods and stories. Inside the store, users can scan the tag of a product to get more information on it.
However, the more interesting part of the app is the mini-social network FP Me. With this feature, users upload Instagram-like photos of themselves wearing brand clothes or accessories. They can also follow other users and "heart" photos and items. The company refers to users as "stylists," increasing their sense of importance and making them feel as a part of the brand - humanizing the brand. This is an amazing tactic to stay on top of the user's minds and build loyalty.
Furthermore, with FP Me, Free People get user-generated photos demonstrating their products in real life - which can substitute for expensive models and photo shoots. Then, photos get shared and promoted by the users on their own incentive - organically - as they treat them like their own personal photos on Facebook and Instagram.
Free People's mini-social network provides an ongoing user-generated marketing process, which is both organic and free of cost. Content creation and product promotion is entirely done by users, and it works towards engaging more users. Only the purchase pages are provided by the company, and they are always on hand, for every product pictured. The brand reported a 42% in same-session conversion rate after launching the application.
WALLGREENS
Wallgreens is an American drugstore providing medicine, cosmetics, diet foods, nursery items, household items, etc. According to a recent Forbes article, Wallgreens' app surpassed IKEA, Burger King and other industry giants in terms of positive customer reviews, due to its usability and a number of valuable features.
The app leverages loyalty marketing by offering coupons and deals in the Weekly Ad section. The coupons are stored in the app, meaning that the user does not need to carry physical coupons with him. This feature is integrated with Passbook - Apple's app for vouchers and coupons.
Another form of loyalty marketing is the Balance Rewards feature, which allows customers to collect points upon each purchase. When a certain number of points have been collected, the customer receives rewards in the form of discounts, for example.
The Wallgreens app also utilizes content marketing in many of its features. It allows users to find a Healthcare clinic near them and schedule an appointment. The Pill Reminder feature lets users set up reminders for taking their medications. Via the Pharamacy Chat feature, users can talk with a pharmacy professional 24 hours a day.
The industry-specific features of the Wallgreens app are Refill by Scan (which lets one refill a prescription by scanning the barcode) and Transfer Prescription (which lets one transfer a prescription from another pharmacy by taking a photo of the label).
ASDA
Asda is a British supermarket chain. The Asda app stands out because of its usability. Its main feature is shopping from home: all items purchased until 10 pm will be shipped on the following day. Items can be added to the list whenever the user needs to. To make the process easier, the app has a voice-recognition feature, where the user tell their device the name of a product, and the app will find it. Users can also find products by scanning bar codes. This allows them to renew products they already have and are about to run out, or to scan bar codes while in competitor stores in order to compare prices. A store-locator feature with maps and directions is also included.
The Asda app does not employ content or location marketing; it focuses on making the m-shopping experience easier and convenient for users. It has received almost all positive reviews in both the Apple and GooglePlay stores.
7-ELEVEN
The American convenience store chain often runs mobile marketing campaigns and has developed an application that has immediate utility for users. As 7-eleven is known for offering deals and discounts, the app makes it easier to inform users about these deals. Users can browse coupons, activate them and use them when checking out to receive a discount. Deals can even be shown on the device's homescreen, guaranteeing the brand will stay on top of the user's mind.
The app's store locator also has a unique feature that makes it stand out from other similar apps: the ability to rate favourite stores.