nordstrom vs. bloomingdale's
TRANSCRIPT
NORDSTROMVS.
BLOOMINGDALE'SA brand comparison analysis
Introduction... page 1
Company backgrounds... page 2-3
Social Mention comparison... page 4
Social Media Platforms... page 5
Table of Contents
• Facebook... page 6-7
• Instagram... page 8-9
• Pinterest... page 10-11
• Twitter... page 12-13
• Website... page 14-15
Conclusion- Winner... page 16
The high-end department store industry is highly competitive with only afew competitors. For this analysis, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's have been chosen for a brand comparison. Both of the brands operate within the same target market and offer comparative prices. The analysis will be based off of how each brand performs across various social media platforms. Finally, either Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's will be selected as a winner. The winning department store will be selected based on how they execute their social media strategy across various social platforms incomparison to the other the high-end department store.
Introduction
NORDSTROM BACKGROUND Nordstrom began when John W. Nordstrom left his home in Sweden with only $5 and an American Dream. After seeing a headline about gold in Alaska, John moved to work in the mines and saved up $13,000; later opening the first Nordstrom in Seattle in 1901. The now popular high-end department store aims to highlight customers' style, not just their trendy purchases. Nordstrom now spans 347 stores throughout 40 U.S. states and Canada. Additionally, Nordstrom, Inc. (publicly traded on the NYSE under JWN since 1971) maintains control over online websites, Nordstrom Rack and Haute Look. As a high-end department store with growing potential as an online retailer, Nordstrom targets middle- to high-class men and women, as well as Millennials who are essential to the growth of Nordstrom and its other brands as an online retailer.
BLOOMINGDALE'S BACKGROUND Who would have ever known that Bloomingdale's began out of the hoop skirt trend? In fact, it was the first piece the Bloomingdale brothers sold in their New York City store. However, most stores back in the 1800s specialized in just one piece of clothing, but Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale sold a variety of pieces; beginning what would become the first department store. In 1961, the famous designer shopping bags were created. Today, Bloomingdale's places emphasis on carrying on the legacy of the Bloomingdale brothers by offering unique shopping experiences and exclusive merchandise. Similar to that of its competitors, Bloomingdale's aim to target middle- and high-class men and women, as well as Millennials who are growing in number and influence through social platforms.
The side-by-side comparison seen to the left shows Nordstrom having a slightly stronger strength and passion than Bloomingdale's. Yet, Bloomingdale's has a strongersentiment and reach than Nordstrom. In monitoring social mention trends over a week, Bloomingdale's had an average of 53.75% strength, 8.75:1 sentiment, 61.25% passion, and 23.5% reach. Nordstrom had an average of 65%, 3.75:2 sentiment, 26.75% passion, and 47.75% reach. Based on these averages, Nordstrom consistently had stronger strength and reach, while Bloomingdale' s consistently had a significantly larger passion. When examining Nordstrom's average reach, the 2 located on the right side of the ratio indicates that on aparticular day, Nordstrom had more negative sentiment than positive. However, it is important to note that social mention results were recorded at different times of the day as well as weekdays versus weekends. Overall, according to strength, Nordstrom has a greater likelihood of being discussed on social media and according to reach, the brand has a larger range of influence. Bloomingdale's on the other hand, is generating a significantly larger likelihood that individuals are talking about the brand repeatedly compared to that of Nordstrom. In conclusion, Nordstrom appears to be reaching audiences at a faster pace, but Bloomingdale's is maintaining key, loyal customers.
Nordstrom vs. Bloomingdale's
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS BEING ANALYZED:
& WEBSITE OF EACH BRAND
Likes: 4,438,411
Nordstrom has a significant follower base on Facebook with almost 4.5 million likes. On the home page, Nordstrom is deemed as "very responsive" to messages, responding within minutes to a user. By remaining highly available to users, Nordstrom increases customer satisfaction and is able to resolve problems quickly. Nordstrom also has an application for location where users are able to search for any Nordstrom store in both the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, the Facebook page has applications for Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter access. The easy access to other platforms increases the likelihood of a user visiting Nordstrom's other social platforms; further increasing the likelihood that an end purchase by the user will be made. The posts made by Nordstrom on their Facebook page consist of anything from alerting users to sales, promoting their blog, men's fashion, and women's fashion and accessories for both work-mode and personal style. On average, Nordstrom creates a new post daily that receive anywhere from 1k-100k likes and 800-2K comments depending on the type of post. Overall, Nordstrom does a fantastic job of creating posts with content that appeals to all aspects of their target market.
Likes: 505,104
Significantly less than that of Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's has approximately 4 million less likes than Nordstrom's Facebook page. On Bloomingdale's page, they do not have a rating based on responsiveness, but are said to "typically reply within an hour." Already, Bloomingdale's is falling behind when compared to the response rates of Nordstrom. Like that of Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's also has a location application where users can locate any Bloomingdale's store. Bloomingdale's also has easy access to other applications including Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Additionally, Bloomingdale's has an application for their #BloomiesPink campaign that is for an Instagram sweepstakes promoting breast cancer awareness; users are able to view all sweepstakes terms and conditions on the Facebook page. Through this campaign, Bloomingdale's is appealing to users by demonstrating that they have a passion for philanthropy. The posts on Bloomingdale's Facebook page consist of content promoting events, awards, celebrations, and new, but mainly women's fashion. On average, Bloomingdale's creates posts daily and receives significantly less likes than that of Nordstrom, ranging from 20-300 likes with minimal comments and few shares. Bloomingdale's is significantly slacking on Facebook when compared to Nordstrom.
Followers: 2.4M
Nordstrom has a significant follower base, approximately half of their Facebook likes. Up to date, Nordstrom has created 3,370 posts and posts an average of two times per day. Each post receives anywhere from 4k -17k likes and 20-200 comments. Due to recent fashion weeks taking place, most of Nordstrom's Instagram account consists of posts centered around fashion week highlights. A typical post is usually aimed at women and mothers, with an occasional post targeting men. Nordstrom also includes posts about sales, lifestyle and living, Nordstrom in the news, and videos with popular public figures. When scrolling through Nordstrom's Instagram account, there is a noticeable emphasis on displaying solely the products, rather than displaying the products on models or in use. By pursing this strategy, Nordstrom is able to focus customers' attention on their product offerings, rather than pulling customers attention away from the product through other items and details in the picture. Nordstrom's posts are very simplistic, yet powerful in achieving user interaction.
Followers: 682K
As with Facebook, Bloomingdale's also has significantly less followers on Instagram than Nordstrom. To date, Bloomingdale's has more posts than Nordstrom at 3,608 posts and consistently posts twice a day as well. Each post receives between 1k-3k likes and 5-50 comments. Extremely similar to Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's highly targets women, yet very rarely targets men. Bloomingdale's rarely dedicates posts strictly to in-store sales, but focuses on incorporating various Bloomingdale's store front entrances and the signature 'brown bag' throughout their Instagram. Another interesting trend in Bloomingdale's Instagram posts is their high focus on creating content centered around New York City. In fact, on average, approximately every three posts incorporate New York City in some fashion; whether it be the city skyline, the city's Bloomingdale's store, street style in front of taxi cabs, or famous landmarks and locations. By consistently formatting posts centered around New York City, Bloomingdale's is presenting customers with a brand image of high-end, yet diverse fashion. As mentioned on Bloomingdale's Facebook page, Bloomingdale's has a clear passion for promoting breast cancer awareness. The sweepstakes mentioned before requires users to follow Bloomingdale's on Instagram and then make a post with their pink manicure and caption it with #BloomiesPink to increase breast cancer awareness .
Followers: 4,549,544
Nordstrom's Pinterest is a massive platform- they have more Pinterest followers than their Facebook page. On Pinterest, Nordstrom has boards ranging from seasonal fashion, DIY, party ideas, weddings, home decor, color coded themes, city themed boards, and more. By creating and pinning to a diverse set of Pinterest boards, Nordstrom appeals to a large base of Pinterest users who are searchingfor different types of boards, themes, styles, ideas, and tastes. Granted Pinterest is heavily a women's social platform, Nordstrom curates content aimed at a wide range of women of all ages based on interests, tastes, and style. One fun board Nordstrom has is called "Boo Visits Nordstrom." Pinned to the board is a collection of pictures of a small stuffed-animal dog, named Boo, that is pictured in various departments throughout a Nordstrom store. What's the point of this board? As in this board, and other similar boards, Nordstrom is appealing to a wide range of ages by creating a fun, not typical, board for users to interact with. Another board titled "French Fling," is used to inspire users who may be traveling to France. Nordstrom has mastered Pinterest by compiling unique pins to create different themes, while drawing in a wide range of users who pin from their diverse set of boards.
Followers: 134,311
As has been consistent on all of the social media platforms thus far, Bloomingdale's falls far behind Nordstrom in their amount of followers. However, unlike Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's has approximately 4,000 less followers on Pinterest than Facebook. When scrolling through Bloomingdale's Pinterest boards, it is apparent that Bloomingdale's has made a shift from incorporating fun, random, yet inspiring boards, to boards that simply display their products by categorizing them into different boards. However, it appears that by formatting creative boards, rather than just strictly product boards, has proved to be more successful as Nordstrom has a significantly stronger follower base. It is interesting to note that Bloomingdale's made a shift away from creative boards to strictly product boards. On more recent boards, Bloomingdale's categorizes products based on color, holiday, theme, etc. For example, one board is simply titled "Valentine's Day Gifts for Her." Pinterest boards like these are rather dry and take away from the creative aspect; instead it is almost a different form of online shopping. Older Pinterest boards created by Bloomingdale's are more inspiring and fun, yet relatable to the brand. For example, one board is called "Cultured Cocktails, NYC." This board incorporates the Instagram theme mentioned earlier, as well as provides inspiration to Bloomingdale's customers.
Followers: 757K
In addition to almost 1 million followers, Nordstrom has 235K tweets and 3,023 likes. Nordstrom tweets an average of once a day and publishes tweets resembling and in line with posts seen on the Nordstrom Facebook page and Nordstrom Instagram account. Nordstrom's Twitter also contains 5 lists that allow Twitter users to interact with the brand. Also important to note is that Nordstrom places their customer service phone number in the Twitter biography. By incorporating the customer service line into the biography,Nordstrom is letting their customers know that they are a customer-centric brand. In fact, just as the Facebook response rate was deemed "very responsive," scrolling through Nordstrom's Twitter mentions and replies, it is apparent that they are also very responsive to customer tweets. In fact, the vast majority of Nordstrom's Twitter feed consists of responses to customers. Nordstrom has proved that they are focused on the customer and satisfying their needs and wants. The brand not only manages customer service complaints and issues on Twitter, but also responds to those who are satisfied with their purchase. Overall Nordstrom's Twitter account is used for resolving customer issues, as well as another form of promoting the brand through consistent marketing.
Followers: 393K
The pattern continues- Bloomingdale's has significantly less Twitter followers than that of Nordstrom. To date, Bloomingdale's has 20.4K tweets, 8,515 likes, and 4 lists. An interesting comparison between the two brands is that while Nordstrom's biography was focused on making it easy for customers to contact them, Bloomingdale's biography contains more of the brand's purpose. When scrolling through Bloomingdale's Twitter feed, it is found that for every promotional tweet, there are approximately two tweets responding to customers. Whereas on Nordstrom's Twitter account, a larger majority of the account's tweets were aimed at customers to resolve problems and comment on their satisfaction. To potentially increase their number of followers, Bloomingdale's should consider dedicating more tweets to resolving issues and thanking customers for their service. Similar in comparison to Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's also demonstrates consistent marketing by resembling the same content that is published on their Facebook page and Instagram account. For example, the the tweets seen to the left, can also been seen on the Facebook page and Instagram account; as was displayed previously.
The homepage of Nordstrom's website is easily navigable. At the top of the website, customers are able to hover over each category to receive a preview of what they may want to shop for under a specific category. Additionally at the top, there is an option for search and account login. The account login is easily visible and reminds loyal customers to login into their accounts. From there, Nordstrom is able to track their customers' interest and products that customers have been eyeing. Nordstrom also automatically grabs the attention of customers with a banner at the top of the page asserting free shipping and free returns. As you scroll down the home page, there are enlarged images highlighting the season's trends, a beauty spotlight, personal recommendations, and a section to dive into fashion week for fall 2017. For example, with spring and spring breaks and beachy vacations right around the corner, the top of the homepage features essentials for customers "paradise bound." Four different categories are displayed to choose from including a general paradise bound category, a section for vacation beauty, vacation sunglasses, and another for vacation clothing. Nordstrom is targeting their customers directly and at the appropriate time of the year. By placing "paradise bound" at the top of the homepage, Nordstrom is making it easy for customers to access what they may have been looking for in the first place.
The homepage of Bloomingdale's is also easily navigable. Like that of Nordstrom's, customers are able to hover over each category to receive a preview of what they may want to shop for under a specific category. Unlike Nordstrom's website, the login button is more hidden among other options located in the top right corner. However, by customers logging into their accounts, Bloomingdale's is also able to track customer purchase intentions, as well as purchase decisions. A little less noticeable, but still flashy and bright, a Bloomingdale's banner asserts free shipping for loyalists and free shipping for orders over $150 for everyone else, both with free returns. By only offering free shipping to loyalists, Bloomingdale's is incentivizing customers to join their program. However, for those customers not wanting to join their program, it may be a turn off and cause them leave for a competitor's site, (cough, cough) Nordstrom with free shipping and free returns for everyone. Extremely similar to Nordstrom, as you scroll down Bloomingdale's website, spring break fashion, general spring trends, designer promotion, and new addition sections can be seen. However, the sections are smaller in scale and are able to be seen better overall. Currently at the top of Bloomingdale's website is a section titled "Dress Obsess," followed by "The Ultimate Spring Break Packing List." The first section is more unique, while still incorporating recent trends. The second section is more likely to draw in younger women looking to do some shopping for spring break. Bloomingdale's has positioned themselves well based on current trends and happenings.
And the winner is...
Bloomingdale's Nordstrom
Platform
Brand
Website
What brand won each platform? Nordstrom clearly won on each and every social media platform due to their significantly larger follower base and excellent customer service. Nordstrom has learned how to appeal to their target market of middle- to high-class men and women, as well as Millennials, who are becoming increasingly influential. Nordstrom has been able to both curate and create content that inspires their followers and loyal customers. The high success of Nordstrom as a brand can also be highly contributed to their excellent customer service. On all of the social media platforms that allow customer interaction, Nordstrom responds within minutes and does not fail to leave a customer out. Overall, Nordstrom demonstrates a strong understanding of how to effectively use social media platforms.