During the “Delivering a Winning Mobile Experience Throughout the Customer Lifecycle” session, the executive gave insight on how HSN is creating devoted customers through a unique dual-screen experience of which mobile is vital, including providing entertainment value. The television shopping network had to alter its plan of marketing its app to new customers, and now aims for more loyal fans because they are more invested, therefore more likely to download.

“That multi-screen experience is really great for our business,” said Annemarie Frank, vice president of omnichannel marketing at HSN. “As she [the shopper] is sitting there watching potentially on the couch, she may have her tablet or smartphone, etc.”

“That frictionless experience and always optimizing that conversion is critical,” she said. “We really try to focus on engaging that multichannel shopper.

“If we can get her to engage across all the different platforms such as TV, desktop, tablet and the handheld we actually see her revenue per year, per shopper go up. So it is a key part of our mobile strategy to engage her across all platforms and also enabling customer convenience and mobile can do that in a very effective way.”

Helpful mobile experience
HSN focuses on guiding customers through a loyalty experience on various platforms such as smartphones, tablets, computers and television, as HSN’s data has shown that the shopper who is engaging on all these different touch points is spending more per year.

The retailer is keen on developing an interesting and unique experience on its mobile app through a gamification system, which coincides with HSN’s slogan “It’s fun here.” The HSN mobile app provides deals and unique prizes through a spin-to-win wheel, an interesting, interactive experience that keeps customers returning to the platform.

HSN’s strategy to onboard loyal customers starts with a shopper’s first purchase, and through various platforms the retailer works to secure a second sale from her within 90 days. The retailer’s data shows it is more likely to create a loyal customer by prompting a second purchase within the 90-day time period.

When it comes to purchases, the confirmation email can serve as an effective tool in marketing as well, considering most mobile users are likely to actually open that specific email. This opens up the opportunity to include a small amount of marketing for users who have not opted in, expanding its audience.

Mobile effectiveness
The goal as a whole is to create a bond with the consumer, which incites her to be a frequent purchaser as well as a brand advocate. Retailers should focus on what the customer would want, integrating mobile within all strategies, being certain of the reasoning behind a mobile-push and should test out digital conceptions.

“HSN is a very creative, entrepreneurial brand and company, so it really helps having that customer lens and having that value of why we are doing things versus just because it is cool or because so-and-so is doing it,” Ms. Frank said.