Joining a long line of companies catering to their growing base of smartphone customers, big and tall men’s apparel retailer Destination XL Group has launched its first mobile app.
The app, which was created with PredictSpring, a mobile commerce platform company, provides customers with incentivized offers, including access to reward points starting with the download and account login. Since it went live a week ago, there have been 10,000 downloads, said Sahal Laher, Chief Digital Officer and CIO of Destination XL Group.
“It’s really about providing another way to engage with our brand that removes friction points and is simple and intuitive,” Laher said. “The increase in mobile use in general is indisputable.”
DXL Group has five brands (Destination XL, Casual Male, Rochester Clothing, ShoesXL and LivingXL) and 203 stores across the U.S., offering 2,000-plus private label and name-brand items.
Beyond creating a new commerce channel, Laher said Destination XL Group saw the app as a way to offer perks like access to the loyalty program and special offers. “If all you provide is another way to shop, you’re not going to get the adoption or penetration,” he said.
For Destination XL Group, being able to digitize its loyalty program in the app is a great way to drive mobile engagement.
“We will be bringing an element of size, comfort and fit in a more guided selling type of approach to digital channels as well,” said Laher. “Even if you are new to the brand, you can gain a high degree of confidence. It will allow you to determine the size that will be best for you.”
From the app customers can access their online account and reward point balances for online and store purchases, solving the frustration of not knowing how many points they’ve accumulated when in a store. “We have loyalty programs that lead the industry in terms of adoption, with over 80% of our customer base in it.”
The app also has an instant product search, which allows users to apply product search filters and scan barcodes for additional product information to check size, color and availability.
Laher said the app was designed to intuitively respond to a customer’s wants and needs. He said the company took a “less is more” approach to the design, making it less cluttered and fast and loading it with high-quality imagery.
“The focus was on not leaving anything ambiguous – it’s really straightforward,” said Laher. “Future enhancements will streamline the in-store shopping experience with notifications and offers and geo-location capabilities.”
The app has a store locator that uses a Google maps interface, so consumers can search for stores nearby and across the country.
Laher said the mobile app will increase engagement with customers across channels and break down silos.
“I think customer expectations have evolved, and now are really tied to anywhere, anytime shopping, and mobile plays a big part in that,” he said. “It’s no longer about the younger generation – everyone is on smartphones and tablets. It’s just the way we consume content now.”
Future refinements of the app will focus on replicating more of the services offered in store and online, providing a guided, interactive and personalized experience. It will also feature image recognition technology so customers can upload a photo, then find and purchase the same item or a similar one.