|
RAPAPORT... J. C. Penney Company Inc. partnered with shopkick, a shopping app that rewards shoppers for simply walking into stores. The deal was timed for the key Christmas retail season so that JCPenney shoppers will be able to earn "kicks(TM)," a proprietary reward currency, along with special offers from the retailer when visiting any of its 1,100 store locations in the U.S. According to shopkick, other major participating retailers include Target and Macy's, along with Simon Malls and electronic stores and gas stations. In coordination with the launch, JCPenney is also offering shopkick users additional ''kicks'' for a limited time when they do visit a JCPenney store.  "As more and more people adopt smartphones, mobile devices are quickly becoming a key shopping tool and the integration of mobile Internet has become key to delivering a modern, in-store shopping experience," said Debra Berman, JCPenney's senior vice president of marketing. "Through our partnership with shopkick, we are able to cater to today's mobile savvy consumer and take our in-store shopping experience to the next level by rewarding and engaging customers who are already shopping inside a JCPenney store." When a shopkick user walks into a participating store, the app detects the shopkick signal emitted from a patent-pending device, which is picked up by the shopper's smartphone. The app then deposits kicks, which can be collected and redeemed for gift cards, song downloads, movie tickets, Facebook credits, donations to charities and more. Cyriac Roeding, the CEO and co-founder of shopkick, said, "JCPenney's nationwide rollout of shopkick makes shopping more inspiring and rewarding. For shoppers, we delight them by rewarding them for behaviors they are already doing while shopping. For retailers, like JCPenney, we are driving incremental traffic and sales and ensuring that marketing dollars are invested in driving actual foot traffic -- it's a win-win." In addition to earning kicks inside JCPenney, the app also permits shoppers to browse JCPenney-themed look books that showcase apparel, jewelry and accessories, "like" a favorite item, save and organize items and connect with others with similar interests. Shoppers can also collect additional kicks by logging into the app daily, viewing look books, inviting friends to join and by linking their Visa or MasterCard to shopkick's "Buy and Collect" program.
|