2. 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
3. The high-end department store industry is highly competitive with only a
few 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 in
comparison to the other the high-end department store.
Introduction
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 stronger
sentiment 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 a
particular 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
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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 .
12. 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 searching
for 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. And the winner is...
Bloomingdale's Nordstrom
Platform
Brand
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Website
Twitter
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.
