Nordstrom Lets Shoppers Digitally Send Presents
Nordstrom is letting shoppers digitally send each other presents this holiday season. The upscale retailer has partnered with gift card provider CashStar Inc. to let customers email specific items from the retailer’s website to people on their holiday lists. Recipients can accept the items that appear in their inboxes and have them shipped to their doors, exchange the merchandise for something else or accept the value of the item as a gift card. While gift card sales surge during the holiday season, Nordstrom expects the feature to be useful year-round. Nordstrom’s gift card sales are increasing across all channels and have been exceeding the company’s overall growth rate.
Total Retail's Take: Nordstrom is betting this new online gifting option will set it apart from mall-based rivals and help it win over last-minute shoppers who are looking for convenience. Gift cards, for example, topped the list of most requested items by consumers for the 10th year in a row, according to the National Retail Federation. This campaign is one of many e-commerce initiatives Nordstrom has launched over the past few years to help offset declining store traffic. In 2011, for example, Nordstrom bought flash-sale website HauteLook, and in 2014, it acquired the online styling service Trunk Club.
Melissa Campanelli is Editor-in-Chief of Total Retail. She is an industry veteran, having covered all aspects of retail, tech, digital, e-commerce, and marketing over the past 20 years. Melissa is also the co-founder of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle.
