The Gap is literally turning shopping on its head with the Vancouver launch of a new loyalty program yesterday.
Called Sprize, the program, which Gap claims is a retailing first, allows shoppers to buy clothing at full price and receive automatic credits should it go on sale any time in the following 45 days. Customers can then spend their savings at the Gap, Banana Republic or Old Navy stores.
“We’re taking away the frustration and worry over buying a product at full price, and then seeing the price drop soon afterwards,” said Marka Hansen, president of Gap Brand North America, in a release. “Sprize will give our customers the confidence and instant gratification of buying what they want when they want it.”
A marketing campaign developed by Cossette West uses the tag line “Shopping turned on its head” and for the next four days visitors to the Robson Street store will find everything flipped on its head.
The store logo has been inverted, a hot dog cart outside the store was turned over and clothes racks fixed to the ceiling.
“We are flipping mannequins in the front window, cars in the street… there are going to be change room mirrors that flip when you try on clothes,” said Rob Sweetman, vice-president and creative director at Cossette. “Everything is going to be upside down with the payoff line that we are flipping shopping on its head with the Sprize program.”
Radio spots will accompany the store marketing.
Sweetman said the clothing retailer hopes that by taking a point of tension away, customers will buy at full price rather than waiting for sales and use their savings to purchase more in-store items.
The pilot project is running at the 10 Greater Vancouver stores only, but if successful, will launch globally.
