JackThreads ramps up mobile retargeting strategy to capture holiday sales

By Chantal Tode

October 2, 2013

The JackThreads iPhone app

Daily deals site JackThreads is retargeting users of its mobile commerce application with relevant banner ads when they are inside other apps as a way to drive sales.

At more than 50 percent of revenue, mobile is already a very important channel for the members-only online retailer of men?s clothing. With the key holiday shopping period gearing up, JackThreads is using retargeting as a way to ensure it does not miss any opportunities for sales.

?We are retargeting consumers of JackThreads based on their behavior in the app,? said Evan Schwartz, CEO of ActionX, New York.

?All they want to do is drive positive return on ad spend and deliver a great consumer experience,? he said.

?We started the test about six weeks or so ago,?and we saw great results and we are ramping it for the holidays right now.?

Real-time segmentation
JackThreads integrated ActionX?s new mobile retargeting program into its mcommerce apps in mid-September.

As a result, when users search, browse and add items to their cart from within the app but leave without making a purchase, the retailer can reach these users in other apps with banner ads related to the items they have already shown an interest in. The ads often include a promotion to encourage users to click.

Users are segmented in real-time, and ActionX finds them in other apps such as Pandora and The Weather Channel.

A JackThreads retargeted ad in The Weather Channel app.

?We target them with banner ads based on their behavior in the JackThreads app in the hopes of getting them to click on the ads, click back into the app and make a purchase,? Mr. Schwartz said.

Targeted ads
ActionX reports that across clients, click-through rates are two to three times higher than for a typical mobile ad while the return on ad spend is typically between four and eight times higher.

The reason why retargeting is seeing strong results is because users are used to seeing untargeted ads in mobile, per Mr. Schwartz.

?When they actually see something they are interested in, whether it be a promotion, a product or an offer, they are much more likely to click through," he said.

In a new partnership with Branding Brand, ActionX will look to bring its mobile retargeting platform to the mobile site and app developer?s clients, which include American Eagle Outfitters, Costco and Ralph Lauren.

During the important holiday shopping season, retailers are typically more intent on delivering strong experiences as the bulk of sales happen during the last three months of the year.

?There is so much traffic going to mobile Web sites and mobile apps during the holidays, it really is a huge shift that is happening,? Mr. Schwartz said. ?Some of our clients were seeing only 10 percent of their users on the mobile site and apps last year, and now it is closer to 40 percent.

?This is where consumers are going, and marketers and brands want to use all of the tools at their disposal to make sure that they are capturing those dollars during the holiday season,? he said.

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York

Associate Editor Chantal Tode covers advertising, messaging, legal/privacy and database/CRM. Reach her at chantal@mobilemarketer.com.

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Find Sales, Contests for College Savings Accounts

Take advantage of states offering waived enrollment fees on 529 college savings accounts.

Ohio parent Beth Cousino didn't know what to think when she saw a Facebook post for a cash contest to celebrate 529 Day on May 29. She has 529 plans, tax-advantaged college savings accounts, for each of her three children, but she had never heard of the event, now in its fifth year.

"The posting asked me to like the Facebook page," she says. Following that prompt, Cousino entered the College Savings Plans Network's Facebook sweepstakes.

"I completely forgot I entered the contest," she says. Fortunately for her, Cousino won $529 that she put in her 15-year-old's 529 plan account.

When parents think about shopping sales for their children, they're probably not thinking about college savings plans. But 529 plans run specials and contests throughout the year.

[Learn how to earn high interest with 529 plans.]

May 29 and College Savings Month, in September, tend to be popular times for states to offer incentives like waived fees, says Mike Fitzgerald, chairman of the College Savings Plans Network. "We have seen as many as 40 states do promotions during College Savings Month in the past."

On 529 Day, Missouri, Nevada and Oklahoma were among the states that gave out $529 cash prizes for college savings. An interactive map on the national nonprofit's website showed parents what promotions were offered in different states.

Parents interested in boosting their college savings should look for the following year-round promotions.

[Learn when to save with another state's 529 plan.]

1. Sales and specials: States run a variety of sales for different kinds of 529 plans. In Washington and Pennsylvania, prepaid tuition plans, a type of 529 plan that allows parents to buy a set amount of tuition in advance, waived program enrollment fees in May.

In Pennsylvania, the $50 program enrollment fee for the PA 529 Guaranteed Savings Plan is waived in May, August, September and December, says Doug Rohanna, a Pennsylvania deputy state treasurer.

In August, Pennsylvania also runs a Beat the Rate special. During the month, parents can purchase tuition credits before the rates rise each September. The difference between buying a community college credit in August versus September last year was more than 5 percent.

2. Drawings: States such as Indiana, Nevada and Oklahoma give away money in random drawings. In Indiana, drawings for 529 certificate of deposit accounts worth $1,529 were held for 529 Day in certain bank branches.

"In September we'll give away two $2,500 529 plan accounts to winners of a random drawing" of people who register on the organization's website, says Jodi Golden, executive director of the Indiana Education Savings Authority, which oversees the state's CollegeChoice 529 plans.

"When we look at our budget and see we have money available from partnerships or sponsorships, we offer a promotion," she says. "Parents should check our website year-round for special offers."

[Employ workplace benefits to maximize 529 plan savings.]

3. Essay contests: In Nebraska, various contests are run throughout the year to give families a college savings boost.

One unusual contest asks grandparents to write a letter to their grandchildren about the importance of education. Grandparents can win between $1,000 and $1,500 for a grandchild's education.

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