Interview by Retail Intelligence

1. W
hat do consumers want in a mobile
experience? Flashy, cool, slick, fun
— those seem to take center stage,
especially in mobile apps and mobile-opti-
mized websites geared toward always-on
Millennials. But in many ways, it’s the sim-
pler things that matter most.
To discover what really counts in mobile
design, interactive mobile marketing agency
Plastic Mobile undertook a small study of
mostly young urban professionals, evaluat-
ing three different apps to see how partici-
pants responded to and engaged with each
one. As mobile commerce matures, the stakes
are getting higher and higher; Plastic Mobile
found that for retail mobile apps specifi-
cally, the amount of time consumers spent
engaged in-app skyrocketed 525 percent in
just one year, with an estimated $34 billion
spent via m-commerce in 2013.
More than just another channel to worry
about, the mobile experience can affect a cus-
tomer’s overall perception of a brand — for
better or for worse. In Plastic’s study, which
leveraged EEG sensors and eye-tracking tech-
nology to discover what actually engaged the group,
participants rated two of the mobile apps — Pizza Pizza and
Best Buy — even more favorably after using the brands’ mobile
offerings, while their sentiments toward Hyatt dipped after a less-
than-positive app experience. Before using the Hyatt app, par-
ticipants used the words “classy, comfort, and luxury” to describe
the hotel brand, which shifted to “luxury, expensive, compli-
cated and pretentious” after interacting with the app.
Successful m-commerce apps rely on images to engage and
steer consumers because “people can process signs and visual cues
instinctively, whereas reading is a cognitive function that takes
more conscious effort to process,” according to the study.
And not to be overlooked: the opening experience, literally.
Mobile developers should strive to minimize the time it takes for
the app to launch, aiming for five seconds or less for the best pos-
sible first impression. A slow-loading app
means the customer experience is already
starting off on the wrong foot, and some frus-
trated users might abandon the app alto-
gether.
VF votes for responsive design
Greg Pulsifer, vice president of digital
development for VF Corp., keeps close tabs
on the company’s many brand-specific mobile
offerings. While VF brands such as Nautica
and 7 for All Mankind feature mobile-opti-
mized sites, The North Face has a dedi-
cated app, designed by mobile developer GP
Shopper.
“Currently the decision of app versus
mobile site is made on a brand-by-brand case,
ultimately determined by the question, ‘Is
APRIL 2014 • www.apparelmag.com14
retailintelligence CASE STUDY
Making the Most of the
Mobile Experience
Mobile design matters, and a bad app experience can tarnish your brand. Learn how
VF Corp. and The Apparel Group are working to optimize their apps and sites with
engaging new features to keep shoppers coming back for more.
While VF brands such as Nautica and 7 for All
Mankind feature mobile-optimized sites, The
North Face has a dedicated app, designed by
mobile developer GP Shopper.

2. APRIL 2014 • www.apparelmag.com16
Apparel: Today, brands and retailers are competing
in an environment where anything consumers want
to know is at their fingertips. What types of unique
initiatives are raising the bar when it comes to
replicating the “instant gratification” environment of
mobile by fusing the digital and physical worlds
gracefully together to most delight the customer?
MCKEE: While it’s true that there is more and more
information available to consumers, having it “at their
fingertips” is a bit of an exaggeration. While Big Data has
come a long way toward servicing the information needs of
consumers, brand owners, and retailers, we still have a
long way to go before giving them what they need — at
their fingertips. To put it quite simply, there is more data
available today, and in many cases less useful information.
Giving structure and definition to unstructured data can be
a challenge. The other area of concern is simply — do
brand owners and retailers always ask the right questions?
We’re in an industry that clings to old ways and old habits.
While technology is prepared to present greater
information, it’s only useful if someone is making use of it.
Another fallacy is the presumption that the key
differentiator between mobile and physical is the “instant
gratification environment of mobile.” Realistically,
immediate gratification is: I look for it — I find it — I pay
for it — you hand it to me — and that sounds more like
traditional retail. Consumers today have choices, and more
information available about product differentiation, pricing,
availability and brand ‘track record,’ which may have a
greater impact on buying cycles and buyer behavior than
anything available to the brand or the retailer.
Apparel: In the end, creating a seamless and
entertaining “front-end” environment for the
consumer across touchpoints is only as good as the
back end that supports it. How are social and mobile
business models inside the enterprise contributing
to new collaborative efforts that ultimately
contribute to a better and more consistent
experience for the customer?
MCKEE: We have to recognize that as we’re moving into
this new business model that's being created around the
fashion industry, we have to be looking at things with fewer
barriers, rather than more. A few years back there was a
television commercial for UPS. A group of web designers
was standing around a computer and one of them said
“we’re live in 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1” — and as the web site
went live, they all cheered. Then, for few seconds, as they
watched, nothing happened.
Suddenly, a few orders popped up.
Then a few more. Then more — and
everyone was cheering and excited.
But, more and more orders kept coming in faster and
faster. The rate of the incoming orders was so fast you
couldn’t even see the total; it was just a blur. As they all
realize their success, they also realize that they had to deal
with and fulfill the requirements of that success. Or, as the
70’s band “The Eagles” put it just after their breakup: “We
built it — and it ate us.” Customer and consumer total
experience is everything: ‘You never get a second chance
to make a first impression.’ Consumers vote with their
dollars. You have to earn their loyalty every day, and every
day the way you earn it will be up to them to define. Listen
to them and engage with them at every possible
opportunity. Those that do will be the most successful.
Apparel: Looking down the road two to three years,
what current or developing technologies do you
expect will change yet further the way that
customers interact with brands and retailers, and
how?
MCKEE: In my opinion, the emerging technology that has
the likelihood to change the industry the most is 3D
printing, followed by fiber and fabric tech, followed by
enabling business model changes. Imagine being able to
‘print’ a luxury handbag — not a counterfeit — from a
transaction that took place directly with the retailer. You
told them what you wanted and they built it and sent you
the print file. All you have to do is execute your print file.
We could likely look forward to a time in the future when
many, or even most, of the items we wear come from 3D
print files. Still fully branded, and designed by the new
virtual brand owners. Or, as we move forward with fiber
tech: new electro, luminescent, or electro-mechanical
fibers that allow you to own only one shirt, and all you have
to do is enter a code and it changes color or pattern. If you
lose weight it adjusts. Too cold outside? It adjusts. Too hot,
and it circulates cooling air through the weave. But, as all
these technologies happen, as theory becomes reality, we
will need to amend our business models to adapt to the
changing business environment. You might have to have
two shirts instead of one: one to wear and one in the
laundry (hmmm, or we make the shirt 100 percent
antimicrobial so it never needs to be washed). The future of
this industry is exciting and we’ve only touched the
preliminary stages at this point.
VENDOR VIEWPOINT
Interview with Robert McKee, Global Fashion Industry Strategy Director, Infor

3. www.apparelmag.com • APRIL 2014 17
there a specific consumer need/use case we can address?’” Pul-
sifer explains. “For The North Face, they wanted to create an
omnichannel app that, in part, made it easy for consumers in store
to scan the UPC code on the item and easily access the rich dig-
ital content (specifically product videos and customer reviews)
from thenorthface.com.”
The North Face transitioned to the mobile app in 2012 from a
mobile site launched in 2010, and traffic via smartphones and
tablets has been growing at an “exponential” rate, and not just for
the outdoor apparel brand. Growth rates in mobile channels are
between 50 percent and 85 percent across all VF brands, Pulsifer
notes. “Mobile optimization across devices is one of our highest
priorities and opportunities,” he adds.
To monitor what’s happening on mobile, VF turns to IBM Core-
metrics, Google Analytics and the proprietary analytics dashboard
built into its native apps. “Success metrics really depend on the
device and intended use,” explains Pulsifer. “Obviously we love
traffic, sales and conversion, but knowing that consumers use their
devices differently helps us shape what kind of success metrics we
evaluate.
“For example, the relatively small real estate on the mobile
phone and its accessibility — do we ever not have our phones
on us? — lends to high traffic and lower conversion versus the
larger form factor from tablets,” he continues. VF is working on
an attribution model to try to quantify the value of that mobile
phone traffic, but hasn’t cracked that yet, though having the his-
torical data is helping to achieve that goal. The company also eval-
uates additional mobile metrics and KPIs such as app downloads
by device; product scans; product views; time spent (app vs. smart-
phone vs. tablet); and videos watched.
Like all mobile offerings, Pulsifer says The North Face app is
a continual work in progress as a steady stream of improve-
ments roll out, with new capabilities such as alternative pay-
ment methods high on the list of priorities. His team is also
considering expanding the app’s robust social integration by
enabling users to post photos of themselves doing fun things in
their North Face gear.
VF doesn’t rely on promotions or discounts to encourage mobile
engagement, focusing instead on creating strong digital experi-
ences that tell compelling brand stories. “This brand content is a
driving conversion tool for not only our mobile experience, but
wherever you access VF brands — both online and offline,” Pul-
sifer explains. “However, as we continue to evolve our strategy
we will use the mobile platform to better engage with our con-
sumers around the activities and events that are unique to our
brands — everything from brand-sponsored events, access to
brand ambassadors, in-store events, loyalty programs, etc.”
Following the industry trend, VF is currently working on
optimizing its sites for all devices by transitioning to responsive
web design. Timberland’s UK site is already up and running and
Vans will debut its responsively designed sites by the end of Q2,
says Pulsifer, with other brands following closely behind.
TAG’s first forays into mobile
Lured by the promise of greater brand awareness and profits,
The Apparel Group, a wholesaler/importer that launched direct-
to-consumer for brands such as Foxcroft and Paperwhite only
within the past few years, is developing its own mobile site to bet-
ter engage its connected customer base. While mobile technology
might be most popular with a younger demographic, Jerry Huang,
vice president of process improvement management, says that the
preconception about which demographics are the biggest tech-
nology users is shifting. “One of our sites targets an older gener-
ation, which has more disposable income because of our price
point, but it turns out that everyone uses mobile,” he notes.
“The difference is in where they finish their sales. They all use
mobile to view and browse, but there’s a demographic divergence
in where they checkout.”
In TAG’s first mobile forays, the company will leverage the
responsive design capabilities built into its Magento ecommerce
platform. “We think using mobility is not just convenience or an
extra site to have,” Huang explains. “It’s an opportunity to drive
extra traffic that we might be missing out on. We’re looking at
marketing initiatives on how can we reach that market that wants
to buy things through mobility and to actually target them.”
TAG is especially keen to use mobility as a tool to promote both
its online and offline channels. Ideally, says Huang, the com-
pany wants to enable customers to check-in to receive a dis-
count or offer if they’re shopping in one of its partner retail stores,
perhaps through a sort of affiliate program. And if a product is out
of stock in store, the mobile app could help customers to find and
buy the item via direct to consumer, with TAG then giving credit
back to the retailer for driving the purchase. “Marrying the
physical store presence with a mobility presence is a powerful
thing,” adds Huang.
As it explores the vast possibilities for its mobile commerce site,
TAG is looking for inspiration in many places, taking cues from
web darlings such as Bonobos, up-and-coming brands such as
men’s sportswear company Zachary Prell, and aggregators such
as ShopStyle. Branded fashion apps that aren’t necessarily com-
merce-enabled provide useful aesthetic direction, while aggrega-
tors encourage shopping and finishing the transaction. “On the
one hand, you want a brand, but on the other hand, you want a
sale,” Huang says.
A simple, streamlined checkout process will be critical to the
mobile site’s success. TAG’s ecommerce site already integrates
with PayPal, and popular, trusted payment options including
Google Wallet and Checkout by Amazon are being considered for
mobile commerce. But Huang cautions that each new feature will
receive considerable scrutiny before gaining approval. “We prob-
ably won’t be accepting Bitcoins anytime soon,” he concludes.
Jessica Binns is an Apparel Contributing Editor based in
Washington, DC.
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