Guess Using Mobile Technology to Attract Young Buyers

Guess, a clothing retailer focusing on providing fashions for men, women, children and babies, has decided to harness the power of mobile technology and social apps to bring customers into its brick and mortar stores. I think this is a really interesting concept, since young people have already enthusiastically embraced smart phones and social networking sites like Facebook.

Here’s how the concept works: Prospective Guess customers can check in at the company’s stores using Foursquare. When they do it, they are rewarded with access to a special promotion. First up for this new venture was the Urban Jungle Check-In Challenge, which is in place to promote the company’s G by Guess clothing line.

This first effort wrapped up on September 30, and now the company will need to evaluate how well this use of mobile technology has paid off for it. I find it interesting that the campaign was directed at employees as well as consumers, and I can only conclude that adding employees to the target audience helps to keep the staff engaged in the company’s products and promotions.

To keep customers and staff interested in the number of people checking in at Guess stores through Facebook and Foursquare, an online leader board was set up. Store employees and customers alike could check it out to see how “their” location was doing. What a fantastic way to create competition between stores.