With the increase in online competition and overseas brands continuing to enter the local market, the Australian retail industry has been going through a tough trading period. In an attempt to offer an innovative solution, four passionate and highly motivated entrepreneurs combined their resources to develop a new iPhone app that using smart technology to help drive increased foot traffic, loyalty and revenue for bricks and mortar stores.
MiiBrand, pronounced “My Brand”, uses location-based technology to encourage customers with special offers when they are close to the physical stores. They can also keep up-to-date with in-store activity and gain instant access to sales and exclusive offers through their smart phone.
It also taps into the emerging trend of gamification, rewarding customers with better offers for engaging with brands by taking actions such as sharing offers on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, checking in at stores via the iPhone app and answering simple questions from brands called ‘Insights’.
When customers join MiiBrand they are provided with a choice of which brands they would like to follow. Once they follow a brand they automatically become a ‘Follower’, and as their level of engagement and interaction with a brand increases so does their ‘status’. Levels include `Groupie’, ‘Entourage’, and `Celebrity’.
The App has already secured 20 premium local and international fashion brands including Life with Bird, Diesel, Sportsgirl, Witchery, Seed, Tigerlily, Superdry, Gorman and Zomp.
We took five with two of those brands, Sportsgirl and Life with Bird to quiz them on how the new MiiBrand App will benefit their retail business; what their current strategies are for attracting customers in-store; and how important it is to offer a `truly omni-channel’ experience.
Read our chat with fellow MiiBrand retailer, Life with Bird at Fashion Exposed Online, fashionexposedonline.com.au.