What’s in this article:
- Gap uses several strategies to build deep connections with customers
- Here are a few of the ones we’ve noticed recently, including creative sets that are open and inclusive and advancing social causes and environmental issues that customers care for
Customer Feedback
As a brand, knowing who your customers are, how they feel when shopping, and what they say about your product is critical to your success – if you can leverage all this data into (the right) action(s).
One of the main ways that Gap receives this kind of feedback is through its field teams. Customers that step foot into its stores provide the brand with detail on who they are and how they wish to be served.
“Being in the Grove – the heart of Los Angeles where pop culture was basically created – is a place like no other. Our customer, whether that is someone from the community or the film industry, is coming in because they’re looking for something that inspires them,” Michael Wacha, General Manager of The Grove Gap Specialty store in Los Angeles, CA.
“My team is well-versed in connecting with not only our core customer and their needs but is also always seeking out what trends are on the rise. For example, we have a lot of stylists and wardrobe teams that shop with us for the latest trend or something specific in mind.”
Become the best CRMer you can:
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Creative Customer-Centric Sets
Gap also finds unique ways to engage with its community and customer base to achieve customer-centricity through its creatives. In fact, creative output is a critical tool in Gap’s strategy to represent and engage its community.
“Wanting to connect with consumers has become more important than ever, but it’s interesting because we are a company for everybody. You do have to really think about the creative being relatable to all,” Len Peltier, Gap’s VP Global Creative Director.
Societal Issues
By acknowledging social causes and environmental issues – Gap uses its platforms to educate and build a strong culture that empowers customers.
It does so by quickly shifting to what customers are currently calling for.
“When it comes to campaigns, we recognize that it’s not important for those featured to be famous. For our ambassadors, it’s not so much about their day job anymore. They need to reflect what our community cares about — from cultural and social issues to sustainability,” said Peltier.
As we saw with Gap Reaches Within for Black History Month, putting diverse talent and skillsets to work to fully represent its customers is also among Gap’s customer-driven strategies.
Overall, it’s evident that the apparel company uses a number of resources and strategies to accommodate customers’ wants and needs – ultimately building deeper connections. This approach is known to be very impactful – growing through your existing customers can make CRM Marketing responsible for even more than 33% of total revenue, according to research by Optimove. Here we would usually insert a pun about how Gap is closing this [synonym for gap], but we’ll let that one slide.