rue21 Wins The Hearts Of Teens With Aptos

The largest fast-fashion growth retailer in the country is also the most innovative when it comes to customer engagement. Rue21, which uses the Aptos retail technology platform, has won the loyalty of its teenage customers, as well as a Gold Award for Customer Engagement. Retail TouchPoints announced the award as part of its fifth annual Store Operations Superstar Awards, which recognize companies with the most creative and successful store operations strategies. Rue21 is a $1 billion retailer that caters to the teen market with the latest fashion trends at affordable prices. It has more than 1,200 stores in 48 states.

The award follows a retooling of rue21’s store operations by Vice President of Store Operations Lori Gillin. The company successfully executed five major customer technology initiatives in an 18-month span. In-store technology initiatives have included a new store- and district-level analytics implementation, an upgrade of its point-of-sale system and the launch of new CRM and eCommerce platforms.

“Point of sale is at the heart of engaging customers differently, increasing associate productivity and driving sales,” said Noel Goggin, CEO and culture leader at Aptos. “Having a point-of-sale solution that interacts seamlessly with other systems, stores and sales channels puts the right information in the hands of store associates to create inspiring customer experiences that support customer loyalty.”

The retailer made the changes while continuing to grow, opening and relocating an average of 100 stores a year. It also launched its new rue+ line and rue décor businesses.

“The improvements at rue21 are very much in keeping with the spirit of the brand,” Gillin said. “We never stand still; we are always on the move to stay relevant to our customers and associates.”

Using Aptos’ retail technology solutions, rue21 keeps customers and associates happy by decentralizing store operations tasks and using mobile solutions to keep everyone productive. As a result, associates are able to spend more time helping customers on the sales floor. In addition, they are able to offer more personalized service, thanks to the rich customer transaction history available to them through the Aptos Store.

Because teen fashion trends can change quickly, rue21 uses Aptos Analytics at the store and district levels to see the latest sales trends and bestsellers, alongside last year’s sales history. Thanks to real-time activity dashboards, they can easily see and track which products are driving sales and which are “so yesterday.”

“Analytics is quickly becoming a must-have for all retailers, but especially so for fast-fashion retailers, such as rue21, where tracking and analyzing the sheer variety and velocity of data has become too cumbersome, complex and time-consuming with spreadsheets and outdated processes,” said Goggin. “Rue21’s fast-fashion business model is about speed, which is embodied in every aspect of its business; the need for information and enabling business users with actionable insights is essential.”

Rue21 uses Aptos’ CRM to identify, profile, segment, engage, motivate and reward customers by creating personalized, consistent customer experiences across channels. This drives visits, sales and customer loyalty for an age group that is famous for being unpredictable.

“To drive customer loyalty, it’s imperative to know each customer and understand what they buy, what they want and how they engage across all channels and touchpoints,” Goggin explained. “Aptos’ CRM provides critical omnichannel insights on customer interactions across all online and offline touchpoints. Tracking and integrating transaction- and non-transaction-based events enables retailers to deploy personalized, relevant and high-impact loyalty programs, marketing campaigns and real-time communications throughout the customer lifecycle and optimize sales and marketing attribution strategies to drive sales and loyalty.”

Because the retailer has improved store operations and productivity, the new technology strategy has also helped the company to be better positioned for the new Fair Labor Standards Act changes to overtime exemptions.

Rue21 is one of 10 companies leading the way in store operations strategies in 2016. “Store operations strategies can make or break a retail company today,” said Debbie Hauss, editor-in-chief of Retail TouchPoints. “In an exceedingly connected, omnichannel marketplace, store operators must balance immediate on-the-ground needs with multichannel expectations. We are honored to recognize these high-achieving companies.”

PetSmart and Best Buy took home the Silver and Bronze for Customer Engagement in the Retail TouchPoints Store Operations Superstar Awards. Other winners included lululemon, DICK’s Sporting Goods and The Original Factory Shop for superior Inventory Optimization/Loss Prevention. Talbot’s, Macy’s and U.S. Cellular took home prizes for Mobile Strategies. Awards for Workforce Management went to Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park Resort.