Department store Debenhams has launched a social selling strategy in the run up to Christmas this year, in a partnership with Buyapowa. Buyapowa is a social commerce platform that has created a unique e-commerce model called ‘Co-buying‘. It gives customers a genuine level of control alongside real entertainment and social currency.
Buyapowa was founded in 2011 and it now operates in Europe, USA and South America. Its award-winning team of engineers and experts help clients such as Argos, Tesco, Homebase and Sony to drive millions of pounds‘ worth of transactions direct from social media.
Leading international multi-channel brand Debenhams have a proud British heritage, which trades out of 243 stores across 28 countries. It gives its customers around the world a selection of brands, and holds the number two market position in premium health and beauty. Now the department store giant is set to share special offers and rewards through this new campaign, the latest business to embrace social selling through the ‘Co-buying‘ model.
Gideon Lask, CEO of Buyapowa, said: “We‘re excited to help Debenhams turn existing customers into highly motivated marketers and brand evangelists through curation, dynamic pricing and gamification across social channels. People love systems with a bit of fun to them: a game, a competition, a countdown. We love taking on the system, getting something for nothing and gaining social kudos. Co-buying taps into these social drivers. Selling successfully on social will be especially crucial in the run-up to Christmas, when retailers need to think well beyond traditional discounting strategies to beat the competition.”
The campaign will utilise Buyapowa‘s revolutionary ‘co-buying‘ platform; this rewards shoppers for sharing deals with friends on social media, lowering prices on certain products and rewarding the most prolific sharers with exclusive prizes. These include personal styling sessions as well as hundreds of pounds worth of Debenhams vouchers. The first Co-buy offer went live on 10th September and will give online shoppers the opportunity to purchase gift cards for Debenhams‘s exciting new Autumn/Winter 2014 collection, the value of which will increase as more people commit to buy.
Co-buying will form a key strategic pillar of Debenhams‘s Christmas online marketing campaign, enabling the brand to super-charge sharing across social, increase average order value and acquire new customers online. Ross Clemmow, Director of e-commerce at Debenhams, commented: “We are always looking to the latest best practice methods to engage with our customers online. Co-buying is an innovative approach in connecting with new customers through our existing most engaged customers”.
Customers who join the Co-buy will be incentivised by group rewards and leaderboard-based gamification to encourage their friends, family and colleagues to purchase, too. Not only will everyone benefit from added value as more people participate, but the customers who make the most successful referrals will be doubly rewarded via exclusive prizes, including a personal styling session and hundreds of pounds to spend at Debenhams.
