Seamless Mobile Experiences Play a Key Role in Digital Transformation: A Sears & Kmart Case Study

There have never been more channels through which to engage your customers. This is both an exciting opportunity and a major challenge for brands — especially for those new to the mobile ecosystem.

What is Digital Transformation?

According to Gartner, digital transformation refers to the use of technology to modernize and optimize processes through the use of technology. Worldwide, digital transformation technology investment is set to hit at least $7.4 trillion over the next four years. This could be anything from the use of cloud computing to optimize workflows, to digital optimization, to the invention of new digital business models.

For the product and marketing teams at seasoned, large consumer brands, digital transformation refers to the optimization and improvement of the customer experience through the use of new digital technology. This can range anywhere from a quick service restaurant or retail store accepting in-store digital payments like Apple Pay, to a completely digitized customer experience that leverages mobile apps, in-store QR codes, technology partnerships with complementary brands, and seamless cross-platform experiences.

Driving Digital Transformation Success at Sears & Kmart

Sears & Kmart provide millions of shoppers around the world with a wide range of home merchandise, apparel, automotive products, and services both in-store and online. Both founded in the late 1800s, Sears & Kmart grew over the decades to become household names.

As consumers around the world became increasingly digital, Sears & Kmart had to evolve to keep up with changing technology, customer expectations, and new competitors. As part of their larger digital transformation, Sears & Kmart turned to Branch to create mobile experiences as frictionless as those in-store and on desktop.

The challenge: Create seamless user journeys into the app across channels and platforms to convert the many loyal Sears & Kmart shoppers into loyal app users.

The solution: The teams deployed Branch’s Journeys across the Sears & Kmart mobile sites to drive app installs and optimize conversion rates by deep linking new users through the install process — routing users to the same content in-app that they were viewing on the mobile web.

With Branch’s Journeys, shoppers are routed from the mobile web into the app where they are 3x more likely to engage and convert — without disrupting their experience.

“Branch is an indispensable component of our digital transformation. With the help of Branch, we’ve been able to create mobile shopping experiences that our customers love — while providing our own teams with full visibility into the true customer journey.”

Adi Gaber, Director of Product, Sears & Kmart

Since partnering with Branch, Sears & Kmart have achieved some impressive results:

  • Journeys became one of the brands’ primary and most cost-effective acquisition channels, driving 47% of app installs across Sears & Kmart in a one-year period
  • The average cost-per-install with Journeys is 97% less than the industry average for paid app install ads
  • Through dynamic user cohort targeting, Sears & Kmart are able to deliver personalized experiences and dynamically suppress banners in concert with other on-site marketing

To learn more, read the full case study. To learn how Branch can help you maximize the impact of your digital transformation initiatives, contact our sales team today.