JOANN Taps Into Mobile Location-Based Advertising

In an effort to tap into incremental revenue and store visits, fabric and craft retailer JOANN Stores is teaming up with mobile location platform Teemo. The retailer is using the latter company’s location-based advertising system, Teemo said in a press release.

JOANN Stores was looking for a mobile solution as both consumers and the retail industry as a whole are moving to a mobile-first mindset. In the press release, Senior VP of Marketing and eCommerce Steve Miller said, “We tested several other location-based mobile partners to help drive store traffic. Teemo’s solution showed the strongest results in its ability to raise incremental sales and margin per store.”

In the press release, Teemo noted that the system “immediately delivered positive, verifiable results” for JOANN. It also indicated that the retailer was able to efficiently bring in foot traffic through a cost-per-visit-model. Overall, the retailer was able to see a 35 percent rise in return-on-ad-spend as well as 78 percent visits “compared against the nearest Teemo competitor.”

The news comes as the retailer has shortened the name of its brick-and-mortar stores to help extend its brand beyond fabrics. The locations, which were previously called Jo-Ann Fabrics, are now known as JOANN, Miller told AdWeek in July. “We have a big opportunity to let people know that ‘Hey, we sell everything that the other craft stores sell.”

Beyond the name, the retailer has updated its logo, with a new bright green color in place of  its former darker hue. The retailer has also renamed sections in the store with quirky titles such as “Bloom Room” and “Knit It.” While the retailer is not intending to have a marketing campaign for the rebrand, Miller noted that the company will still invest in social media efforts like Pinterest and Instagram Stories. project ideas, use mobile coupons and share how-to projects with other crafters.