Nordstrom makes social media push to promote anniversary sale

Dive Brief:

Nordstrom is posting Instagram photos of apparel combinations with the hashtag #OOTD (Outfit of the Day) as a major component of a new social media marketing effort coinciding with its anniversary sale going on through Aug. 7.
Nordstrom, which has about 2 million followers on Instagram, also is sponsoring select posts on the photo-sharing platform to attract new customers. The #OOTD photos also are being put into Nordstrom e-mail blasts, and can be found on the company’s website.
On Snapchat, Nordstrom is engaging with customers with Snap Ads, Geofilters at some U.S. malls, and a series of social media influencer takeovers.

Dive Insight:

Nordstrom has garnered much praise for its past social media efforts, and landed at the top of Shareable's social media engagement scorecard last fall. However, all that engagement hasn't saved Nordstrom from suffering the same fate befalling many other traditional brick-and-mortar retailers: The company earlier this year announced layoffs, including some cuts affecting its IT department.

Despite those cuts, Nordstrom doesn’t seem to be giving up on technology pursuits that can boost its bottom line. Earlier this month, the company took a stake in DS Co., creator of a cloud-based software platform for supply chain modernization.

Meanwhile, this latest social media salvo is all about getting shoppers into Nordstrom stores for the retailer's biggest sale of the year. The #OOTD photos on Instagram, for example, correspond with #OOTD "hangtag" displays in Nordstrom stores where store visitors can see (and try on and purchase) the outfit combination they saw earlier in their social media feed. Nordstrom's flagship brick-and-mortar store in Seattle also features a large #OOTD-themed LED display.

Social media campaigns promoting in-store sales sometimes can appear awkward and slightly desperate if not executed just the right way. Having said that, it also is a marketing practice all longstanding retailers need to at least try to perfect as they move to bridge the worlds of e-commerce and brick-and-mortar commerce. Nordstrom has more experience than many finding just the right tone.