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Nordstrom exhibits importance of steadily investing in new technology

Nordstrom focuses on the customer journey with constant investments. Image credit: Nordstrom.

 

Department store chain Nordstrom is furthering its mission to provide innovative methods of purchasing and connecting to consumers with two big investments.

Nordstrom has invested in two ecommerce platforms that are changing the way consumers interact with retailers. BevyUp and MessageYes, two innovators in digital purchasing and selling, will now be acquired by the department store.

"BevyUp was founded on the simple idea that retailers could develop meaningful connections with their customers," said Mauricio Cuevas, founder and CEO of BevyUp, Seattle.

"We've helped revolutionize the customer experience by extending a salesperson's relationships beyond the confines of brick-and-mortar stores," he said. "Becoming a part of the Nordstrom team gives us the opportunity to take our combined efforts even farther."

Innovations and investments
The luxury department store has been consistently moving forward in technology, with pushes and innovations that cater to the new retail environment and needs of today's consumer.

Technology has been integrated throughout its customer journey and business to better complete these goals.

Nordstrom saw sales increase 2.5 percent for the holidays. Image credit: Nordstrom

As a part of this mission, Nordstrom's closure on its BevyUp and MessageYes deals will create seamless transaction methods for shoppers.

BevyUp is a tech tool that helps apparel brands and retailers better connect to their customers through a personalized multichannel journey. The Seattle, WA-based company was founded in 2012 and has already been working with Nordstrom for some time.

The company's technology will be integrated into a new Nordstrom employee application.

MessageYes is a conversational commerce platform that leverages machine learning and data to create purchasing abilities. The company also taps human assistance and integrated payment systems to help provide a more tailored experience.

Department store of the future
Nordstrom has stated that because the retail industry is constantly shifting at an exceptional speed, the retailer needs to continually be investing in new platforms and moving forward. The department store wants to deliver premium service to consumers “on their terms.”

It is a strategy like this that has allowed Nordstrom to create such a strong bond with its customers.

The store chain recently came out on top of new fashion retail rankings by Market Force.

Nordstrom’s loyalty index was 56 percent, placing it above more mass players such as Lane Bryant and Dillard’s. While consumers' decisions of where to shop are largely driven by value, 37 percent consider customer service a key differentiator, showing the continued importance of sales associates (see more).

Nordstrom was also named Luxury Daily’s 2017 Retailer of the Year for its innovative take on how the physical store can keep up with the changing digital landscape of modern retail.

Nordstrom was named over the runners-up Neiman Marcus and Farfetch, with an honorable mention for Colette. Together, these three retailers exemplified the innovative new directions that retail is going as the business attempts to bridge the gap between ecommerce and bricks-and-mortar shopping (see more).

"Personalized shopping has long been our focus, and it's something that's been core to Nordstrom since they were founded back in 1901," said Dave Cotter, founder and CEO of MessageYes, Seattle. "Nordstrom has succeeded in building emotional relationships with their customers – creating connections that go well beyond a transaction.

"When we started MessageYes, that's exactly what we wanted to do," he said. "Joining Nordstrom enables us to take a lot of our concepts and integrate them across all of the channelsNordstrom uses to serve customers."