Nordstrom brings joy of gifting to holiday campaign

October 30, 2018

Image courtesy of Nordstrom

Department store chain Nordstrom is making gifting a festive affair through a holiday campaign and cross-channel efforts offering limited-edition products and personalized guides.

To kick off the season, Nordstrom released a colorful video campaign, "Let's Go Gifting," with a diverse cast of characters. The brand is also introducing additional services to ease the stress of holiday shopping as well as sharing special items with a philanthropic purpose.

"The representation of 'fresh faces' in this campaign gives more people the opportunity to see themselves as part of the story and that their quirky, individual style is something to be celebrated," said Jenna Clark, account manager at Blue Moon Digital, Denver, CO. "It’s also super inviting as 'let’s go gifting' leads you to come along for the ride – it should be fun!"

Holiday rush
Directed by Theo Wenner, the spot features longtime brand advocates Jan De Villeneuve and Guinevere Van Seenus alongside other Nordstrom shoppers of all ages and races. Dean Martin's "Go Go Go Go" sets the mood as everyone rushes through the bright sales floor to find the perfect gift.

This spirit of gift-giving and diversity is reflected in Nordstrom's personality-driven gift guides. Instead of offering gifts based on demographics or relationships, the retailer is helping shoppers find the perfect present based on the interests, including technology and travel, of their friends and family.

Nordstrom encourages shoppers to "go gifting" in new holiday campaign

Nordstrom's curated gift guides were based on the most popular search terms and categories on its Web site, highlighting how consumer data can be used to better serve larger groups of shoppers.

Hoping to capitalize on the popularity of limited-time products, Nordstrom will also release exclusive "Daily Drops" from Nov. 27 through Dec. 18. The products will be announced on the store's ecommerce site and Instagram account each morning, creating a sense of excitement and discovery for shoppers.

"Daily Drops" will include new-to-market items from brands such as Christian Louboutin, Charlotte Tilbury and more.

A growing number of luxury labels and retailers have been adopting the drop retail format, opting for a series of limited-edition releases per year rather than the traditional seasonal store arrivals (see story).

Image credit: Nordstrom

Nordstrom is also encouraging shoppers to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals by purchasing special gift cards while in-store. Sales of select products, including the new Nordstrom Signature cashmere collection, also help fund work empowerment programs and similar efforts.

To better assist its customers throughout November and December, Nordstrom is also offering gift wrapping, shopping assistants and early bird and curbside pickup.

Holiday prep
In addition to the new gifting campaign, Nordstrom is building up its customer service offerings for the upcoming holiday season with an influx of new hires.

The store hosted a company-wide hiring day on Oct. 19 during which all store locations across the United States and Canada participated in hiring new employees for its bricks-and-mortar locations, call centers and distribution and fulfillment centers.

The move was an effort to ensure maximum quality customer service over the busy holiday season, which can become hectic. Nordstrom has stated that it is looking to hire more than 24,000 new personnel across the board for the season (see story).

Nordstrom also introduced a revamped loyalty program in the buildup to the holiday shopping season, with a new emphasis on additional personalization and more convenient ways to shop.

Dubbed The Nordy Club, the new rewards system launched in October and allows participants to earn points faster than before. The benefits are not limited to cardholders, making it more appealing to younger shoppers who tend to eschew credit cards (see story).

Nordstrom's focus on customer service is present across initiatives, including the "Let's go gifting" campaign.

"It’s refreshing to see a brand focus on 'gifts that do good' instead of the typical 'conquer the holidays' or 'survive the season' type of suggestions," Ms. Clark said. "There’s still the sense of 'hustle and bustle' – but it’s colored with friend and festive endeavors."

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Nordstrom brings joy of gifting to holiday campaign

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