Express Takes Influencers To The Next Level With Social Commerce Program

Influencers will be getting an upgraded set of tools from fashion apparel retailer Express through its new Community Commerce program, with the brand latching onto the industry-wide social commerce trend as it charts a path out of the shopping mall that has been its mainstay since 1980.

Through the program, Express Style Editors will receive coaching, education and mentorship, as well as exclusive access to sell and earn commission on specially designed collections. The Express Community Commerce program is currently in a pilot phase, but will roll out nationwide this fall.

Express is currently in the midst of transitioning from a mall-based retailer to a “brand with purpose,” said Brian Seewald, senior vice president of eCommerce at Express. The Community Commerce program is in part a recognition that a successful brand can’t just be about selling clothes — it also has to be about connecting with customers.

“We’ve been really good at being a transactional eCommerce business for a long time,” he said. “Our checkout’s solid, we can drive transactions, we know how to do those things. … This program evolves us from being a great transactional experience to developing a connection.”

Seewald said Express is trying to not put strict requirements on what it takes to be a Style Editor, but noted that the right person should love fashion, have an entrepreneurial spirit and “really love helping others find that perfect outfit and feel confident.”

“And if we can find that, people who want to sort of engage in that way — and by the way, have a little side hustle — that’s exactly what we’re looking for,” he said.

The Evolution of Influencers

With Community Commerce, Express hopes to latch onto the explosive growth of social commerce and influencer marketing over the past year. With consumers locked at home for most of the pandemic, social media increasingly became the place to browse new products, and that trend isn’t going away. Approximately $2.8 billion were spent on influencer marketing in 2020, a 14 percent increase versus 2019, according to eMarketer. This year is expected to see a 34 percent jump, to $3.7 billion, and by 2023, that total is projected to reach over $4.6 billion.

But Express Style Editors are more than just influencers who are suggesting what followers should buy, Seewald said. The retailer is providing their Style Editors with tools to create “shoppable content,” connecting their social media accounts to a curated storefront where people can see how the stylist pairs different Express products.

Express will retain its current social marketing programs, which have been some of the fastest-growing in terms of driving traffic to the retailer’s eCommerce site as it tries to reach $1 billion in digital sales by 2024.

“It’s definitely a strength for us,” Seewald added.

Spotlight on Social

Social commerce has been hot in recent months, with Facebook bringing its Shops feature to Marketplace and WhatsApp, TikTok testing in-app purchases with European merchants and Pinterest expanding its shopping list feature to more countries to allow users to shop directly from pins and boards.

All this is a recognition that brands and retailers can’t wait for consumers to find them — they have to meet potential customers where they’re already congregating. Nine out of 10 consumers say that introducing digital tools has brought benefits to their lifestyle, PYMNTS research has found.

Seewald said that as bad as the last 18 months have been because of COVID-19, one positive side effect is companies’ renewed focus on the customer experience. It used to be that companies gave lip service to customer care, but were really more bottom-line or business-centric, he said, whereas now the retail industry as a whole is becoming more consumer-centric.

“And that is actually wonderful to see, because we all say we want to be about the customer,” Seewald said. “Now, if you’re not about the customer, you’re not going to succeed.”

On a personal note, Seewald said he’s excited to help get the Community Commerce program off the ground. “You only get so many chances to work on something like this that is sort of changing how you do business,” he noted.