Rent the Runway is the “fashion company with a technology soul.” The firm has reinvented the luxury experience by creating a new market for designer clothes based on the concept of temporary access. Described as the “Netflix for Fashion” by the New York Times, the company’s innovative business model not only created a new market, it redefined what ownership and retailing means to today’s fashion conscious consumer while building a loyal following across the United States.
A key part of RTR’s mobile strategy is its mobile app for iOS. App shoppers are known to spend more and engage more with brands during mobile moments throughout the day compared to mobile website shoppers. Increasing app downloads leading up to the holiday season was an important objective for driving engagement and ultimately revenue.
The company was promoting its iOS app from the website via a dedicated landing page. The page promoted select features of the RTR app and encouraged customers and prospects to download the app from the iOS app store and linked to the RTR app store entry.
In its monthly email to customers and prospects, a call-out was included for the RTR mobile app for iOS. The link would lead to the dedicated landing page for the mobile app. The link, however, could not check to see if the shopper already had the app installed and if so, open the RTR app instead. The campaign manager needed the link behind the graphic to route traffic to the mobile website, the RTR app or the app store depending on the device and whether the user had already the RTR app installed.
The marketing manager discovered that deep linking was the solution to the problem. Deep linking typically means linking to a webpage beyond the homepage but it also means the ability for a marketing link to open a mobile app vs. mobile website. In this case the website was the RTR mobile landing page vs. the RTR mobile app or iOS app store.
The solution, however, needed to be easy-to-use, require minimal technical resources and allow for immediate implementation. For maximum reach, it also had to support all browser and device configurations across iOS and Android. RTR did not yet have an Android app so the link needed to route traffic to the mobile landing page when clicked by an Android device.
The results were instant. The RTR marketing team saw a significant increase in app downloads as well as app re-engagement. URLgenius links have become an important part of the company’s marketing operations as it strives to increase overall mobile revenue and engagement
“The URLgenius platform easily removes an important barrier to increasing app downloads and app engagement. The platform saved us countless hours in development time and it’s incredibly easy to use.” – Rent the Runway Marketing Manager, Fashion Retailer
Saving time and development resources, URLgenius helps solve complex app vs. web challenges without the need for Software Development Kits (SDKs). Contact us to learn how we can help you increase social engagement and drive more app downloads and re-engagement for your mobile apps.
