Dive Brief:
- As part of its digital push, Pottery Barn has unveiled its new mobile iOS shopping and design app, the retailer announced on Tuesday.
- With the app, users can receive free help from the retailer’s Design Crew staff online or in-store, share their favorite items with others, create and manage registries, buy products from curated rooms and virtually preview products in their homes. Customers can also pay using Apple Pay, according to the announcement.
- Consumers who currently use the Pottery Barn Wedding Registry app will not see a disruption after updating the app as of Nov. 8, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
Pottery Barn’s new app stands alongside its Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen apps currently on iOS, which it unveiled in January. The two apps offer similar services, including creating registries, viewing items in virtual rooms and paying for purchases with Apple Pay. The retailer did not say whether it planned to offer the new app on Android devices.
“As a digital-first brand, we’re thrilled to offer our customers an enhanced design and shopping experience on the new Pottery Barn app,” Pottery Barn Brands CEO Marta Benson said in a statement. “Now customers can explore and shop full rooms, easily share their favorite products, and connect with a design expert all in the convenience of a mobile app.”
Meanwhile, other major retailers have been releasing and revamping their mobile apps. Last year, True Religion unveiled its mobile app, where shoppers can view interactive content, find discounts and receive product recommendations. This year, Walmart revamped its mobile app to streamline the online shopping experience, while Family Dollar said in September it would release a refreshed app with a new interface and improved navigation.
As Pottery Barn and its sister brands, Pottery Barn Kids and Pottery Barn Teen release new apps, the brands have faced some financial difficulties this year. According to the Q1 2023 earnings report of its parent company, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn reported a 0.4% dip in year over year in net revenue. Pottery Barn Kids and Teen reported a 3.3% decrease in net revenue that same quarter.
The following quarter, Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids and Teen reported a 10.6% and 9% year over year decline in net revenue, respectively. The retailer is set to release its third quarterly earnings report on Thursday.
