Bloomingdale's

 

Blog by Sandy Shimiaie 

Positioning

Bloomingdale's customers know what they want and they know they can get it from Bloomingdale's always. They have established themselves as a reliable store, website and brand. They have separated themselves from their competitors by offering a mix of upscale contemporary fashion that is always available.  Bloomingdales provides unique merchandise in a theatrical setting which makes the shopping experience entertaining, unlike their competitors. 
When you go on their simple and clean website, they offer offer promotions, lookbooks; anything to make the shopping experience easier. They have created a life style for their trend conscious, upper-middle class shoppers. Life style meaning they can get everything they need for their day-to-day life, from shoes to pots and pans to luggage.

Competition

Value Proposition

 

Bloomingdale's is a fashion-focused department store. They are loyal to their customers in providing trends, wants and needs. They always offer free returns and shipping. They have special shopping events to keep their customer entertained. The loyallist program also offers points and rewards for being that "loyal" customer. The Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest boards keep everyone up to date on whats new and hot. Mobile apps are great for the on-the-go customer. 

Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdales stated the store is "Not a store, but a destination". Bloomingdale's is "Like no other store in the world". 

Tory Loves Bloomingdale's!

Tory LOVES Bloomies and our partnership is absolutely in bloom!  May is a very exciting month for Tory at Bloomingdale’s and we kicked it off with an oh-so-cool interview with Tory herself for the Bloomingdale’s Mother’s Day book.   Tory talks about being a fearless colorist and what being a designer and a mother have in common.  

 And, window shopping at the Bloomindale’s flagship store in Manhattan just going juicier! We are absolutely THRILLED to be highlighted in three colorful windows on 3^rd avenue and 59^th street which include a mix of Summer styles for every age and every occasion and they’re just plain fun – just like Tory would like them!  And the fun doesn’t stop outside — head inside to the third floor where you’ll be treated to a bright & preppy, Tory Burch shopping experience from floor to ceiling printed wallpaper, framed prints and fun Tory Burch key items all over the floor. You can step into our new body scanner to see what size fits you best! All of your Pinterest and #Instagram posts will be updated live on the big screen! Summer is all about BRIGHT and we definitely brought the bright!

Get Body Scanned with Me-Ality

Thanks to the modern age, science, and vanity, a crazy new machine has been invented to help you find the perfect denim fit. It's called Me-ality and it resides locally at our 59th Street location.  
Here's how it goes:
1. You'll take off your bag, coat, shoes, and whatever else might alter your silhouette first (they have peds, in case you're barefoot).

2.  Once inside the booth, a rep shows you how to assume your position for scanning and you feel a lot like a Barbie doll in a box. The "wand" passes by two times, and the whole thing takes about fifteen seconds.

3. Once the system registers two consecutive, corresponding measurements, you get a barcode. You and your barcode march to computer number two, which scans the barcode and pulls up matching denim styles available at Bloomingdale's. 

*Me-ality as a business offers fit recommendations for a wider variety of product categories—which you can see via our website after your scan

4. You can them print our your shopping guide indicators. Your size, brand, and style options are shown, along with the colors that they are available in.

SWOT

Addressability

Strength – Saves your information, when you are registered and you don’t have to enter it several times "Loyallist", Personalized homepage and E-mails, Sends promotional emails

Weakness – if you are not registered your information won’t be saved

Opportunities – Drive more customers to the website, more suggestions while shopping

Threats –Privacy issues

Interactivity

Strength – Customer service available by phone or email, product reviews are available, you can also share the products through your Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook accounts

Weaknesses – No live chat with customer service

Opportunities – Live chat while shopping, Customer service not 24/7
Threats – Their competitors provide live chat with customers

Memory

Strength - Keeps track of recently viewed items and provides suggestions based on pages customer has visited, Friendly reminders of shopping cart, past purchase history

Weaknesses – Doesn’t suggest items based on what you are shopping for

Opportunities - Suggest more personalized items while shopping, in different categories 
Threats – Competitors create entire looks based on one item while shopping

Control

Strength – Easy to navigate, many filters while shopping, search bar, real-time of when product will be shipped

Weakness - Doesn't have video clip of items 

Opportunities – Video clip to see item on a real person
Threats – Their competitors now offer to veiw an item on a real person

Accessibility 

Strength – A customer can easily find all the information needed about the product when view it and about the company as well. Social media options at the bottom of the screen

Weaknesses – Difficult to access their customer service

Opportunities – More social media options should be presented on the site
Threats – Major competitors already have live chat with customer service

Digitalization

Strength – Good quality images, fast download speed, quick Brown Bag updates

Weaknesses – No video of products

Opportunities – Video on the product is important since so many companies have it now
Threats – Competitor companies offer videos of the product while browsing    

Lookbooks

Bloomingdales.com always offers the best Guides and Lookbooks. Almost every time I visit the website, the Lookbook changes to what they have received that week or what holiday it is. This helps their customers learn about new products and what is trending.

Globalization

Bloomingdales ships to over 90 countries worldwide. International shoppers will now get the benefit of seeing product prices in their local currency, guaranteed current exchange rate order totals provided by FiftyOne, their international shipping partner. International delivery estimated shipping time varies from 8 to 19 days!

Privacy Practices

 

At the bottom of the page, you can see Privacy Practices tab. It explains the uses of the information Bloomingdale’s collects, as well as gives you your contact preferences and opt-out cookies. Coremetrics, the third party company assists bloomingdales.com in understanding how people use its website. It also gives you advice how to protect yourself under Fraud Alert tab.You can disable cookies. As a customer you can manage you private preferences. 

Benchmarks/Metrics of Success

www.compete.com

Aesthetics

Bloomingdale's has a very clean look. Their simple black and white logo is sharp, memorable, and caters to all ages. The website also stays true to this, all in black and white with simple navigation and descriptions. The language and vocabulary relates to its customers and helps them connect to the products.

Merchandise Presentation/Descriptive Writing
 A very simple description of the product goes straight to the point. The products have a front, back and side view with the option to zoom. The quick view option is also great when you're browsing the site.You can share it on your Facebook, 'Tweet' it, or add it to your Pinterest board for others to see.
The descriptions include details, reviews, bonus offers, and shipping/return on the product. 

   

Innovative E-Commerce System

Bloomingdale's has a user friendly mobile application for its customers that is identical to their website. It also incorporates social media on their website, you can share favorites on your Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. 

They have collaborated with FiftyOne to ship to more than 90 countries worldwide. For every item to be purchased they have a live update on when the item will be shipped based on availability. You also have the option to see what stores near you carry it.

Merchandise Assortment

Store vs .COM

Components of the Suppy Chain

Customer Relationship Management: One of their strongest qualities, Bloomingdales retains close relationship with its customers. As a "loyalist" you receive emails with promotions, site updates, and personal reminders of items in your shopping cart. With the loyalist program you earn $25 every time you earn 5000 points. 

 

Supply Chain Management: Free shipping is available for orders of $150 and up or Beauty orders over $50. All shipping fees are explained under the Shipping Policy tab (if you are a US customer) or International Shipping (if you are an international customer). Same with the returns. 

Just In Time: Real time updates given to you on stock of items.

Targeting: Bloomingdales targets fashion-forward individuals, who stay loyal to their brands and know what they want but sometimes can use the professional advise. Its shoppers are up to date on the latest trends, appreciative of quality products especially on the designer labels.

Brand Awareness: 

Customer Behavior and Attitude: Customers stay loyal to Bloomingdale's for always giving what they promise and offering them even more than that.