Technology Helps Make UGG a Top Omnichannel Retailer

The article below is an excerpt from Total Retail's inaugural Top 100 Omnichannel Retailers report. UGG came in a four-way tie for first place, along with DSW, Urban Outfitters, and Zumiez. 

A shopper uses the "Magic Carpet" technology at an UGG's brick-and-mortar location.

A division of Deckers Brands, UGG is a footwear brand that sells its products through company-owned brick-and-mortar stores, wholesale retail partners, an e-commerce site, and a mobile app. With these multiple touchpoints available to its customers, UGG has made a seamless shopping experience across all channels a priority — as evidenced by its top ranking of 100 omnichannel retailers.

UGG received top scores for the following omnichannel programs: buy online, pick up in-store; search in-store products online; shared cart; loyalty points earned/redeemed across channels; return products across channels; three or more channels available for customer service; and pricing consistency across channels.

Omnichannel initiatives for UGG have included “Infinite UGG,” which enables in-store sales associates to help customers view and purchase products not found in stores, as well as “Magic Carpet” RFID technology in select test stores. When shoppers try on shoes and step onto a carpet in front of a large interactive display, RFID communications render product details for the item on in-store touchscreen monitors. The customer can enter their phone number to receive a text with a URL to a product page on UGG’s mobile site for easy purchase.

“Before our organizational change, we spoke to the customer by channel, with people, processes and technology aligned relative to that channel,” said John Kalinich, senior vice president, omnichannel operations and e-commerce for Deckers Brands. “However, there’s no difference between a retail customer and an e-commerce customer. It’s the same customer.”

To see the full top 100 rankings as well as other company profiles, you can download the report here.