Anthropologie reports 25% increase in customer transactions due to virtual experiences

Urban Outfitters Inc has reported growth of 25% in customer transactions at its Anthropologie and BHLDN brands after investing in virtual customer experiences.

Using business organisation platform JRNI, the company has been able to keep their businesses on track by delivering new kinds of customer experiences throughout the restrictions and lockdowns.

One piece of tech, JRNI Appointments, has enabled both Anthropologie and BHLDN to connect with customers by supporting in-store appointments, virtual appointments and email consultations while complying with social distancing requirements.

The brands have engaged with 25,000 customers since April 2020; and customers who booked appointments purchased 40% of the time in stores, 65% of the time virtually, delivering higher results than any other channel.

The brands have been able to experiment within the platform with different types of triggers and communications to enhance the customer experience.

Maddie Bender, brand styling manager for both Anthropologie and BHLDN, said: “As the business owner of our styling programs, it has been incredibly helpful to have the flexibility within the JRNI platform to make adjustments to the appointments and services we offer — to be able to go in and change booking questions, add new services, customise triggered emails, etc. — those types of features and functionality are so easy that we no longer have to involve our technology or web development partners to get them implemented

“I can literally go in there and change them based on the needs of our business with little to no down time, which has been instrumental, especially during COVID.”

John Federman, CEO of JRNI, added: “We are so excited about how JRNI has been able to help Urban Outfitters’ brands continue to provide the top-notch customer service and support they are known for, even throughout the coronavirus pandemic when so many businesses had to close."

Last month however, Urban Outfitters announced disappointing Christmas sales and the departure of its Chief Executive Officer.

During the two-month period ending 31 December, Urban Outfitters said its total company sales fell 8.4% from 2019, while comparable store sales fell 9% due to declines in footfall because of the COVID-19 pandemic.