Jewelry retailer Alex and Ani is merging engaging content with commerce in a comprehensive new application, a move designed to further build the brand and drive mobile sales.

The retailer believes in the importance of providing content in which consumers are interested in, along with supplying methods to jump profits. The Alex and Ani mobile app provides features that teach the user about herself, such as a moon-related horoscope, as well as inspirational content and a personality generator that pairs products with the user’s birth information.

“The alex and ani app underscores our investment in digital and is a touch point that will engage and inspire our guests and bring them into the world of the alex and ani brand,” said Harlan Kent, president of Alex and Ani. “The app is a seamless blend of content and commerce that will not only help educate and inspire but also lead to sales.”

Predicting personal shopping
The user clicks on Personal Blueprint under the Inspiration tab to enter her full name and full birth-date, and the app then reveals her birthstone, zodiac, tree and flower symbols along with their meanings. Consumers can click start shopping for a list of products that coincide with the information such as products including her birthstone and first letter of her name.

Alex and Ani has created a mobile app in which consumers can spend a great deal of time engaging with content that targets users interested in zodiac subject matter and women’s empowerment. The app provides an array of features, which are personalized to the specific user as well as created content that takes the form of articles or blog posts.

For instance, consumers can engage with the daily Moonscope, a zodiac reading which follows the moon’s trajectory as well as the Personal Blueprint in which users input their birthdate and name to read a variety of individualized zodiac information, paired with relevant products. The Daily Scroll on the app congregates these features along with what Alex and Ani has dubbed the Inspiration Engine, a feed of content, which encourages self-education that inspires users to find new methods in discovering themselves.

Articles on the Daily Scroll feature content questions and answers, how-tos, behind-the-scenes and meanings behind some of the jewelry symbols. For instance, an article named Q&A Ring Inspiration features a question-and-answer segment with one of the designers of the rings at Alex and Ani.

Another post featured on the feed describes First Lady Michelle Obama’s stance on education for girls, named Never Underestimate the Power of Your Voices. The retailer also encourages users to create a profile to better suit to get a more comprehensive individual experience.

Mobile commerce apps
It is vital for mobile commerce retailers to incorporate unique content into their apps, as well as find methods in tapping into personalization.

Sally Hansen also aimed to ramp up mobile sales by introducing the ManiMatch application, which allows beauty enthusiasts to use a scanning feature to try on more than 200 nail polish shades before receiving personalized color suggestions and the option to purchase their favorites (see more).

Also, athletic footwear retailer Champs Sports tiptoed into mobile for the first time with the rollout of a new application that enables sports fans to keep track of new sneaker releases, purchase items on their smartphones and sign up for the retailer’s loyalty program (see more).

“The goals of the app are to create and grow an engaging and unique mobile experience for our guests; new and already existing,” Mr. Kent said.

Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Commerce Daily