Authentic Brands Group offers text-based shopping for key banners

A global brand management company is providing consumers SMS text interaction with select retailers in its portfolio.

Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and SPARC, a joint venture between Authentic Brands and Simon Property Group, are now offering consumers mobile commerce and shopping experiences via SMS text. Customers will be able to subscribe to SMS programs, running on Attentive technology, that enable access to personalized interactions with ABG brands.

Customers can currently sign up for SMS shopping programs via the desktop and mobile websites for ABG brands including Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand, Juicy Couture and Nautica, with more brands planned to roll out in the coming months.

Text message marketing programs are personalized by brand. Subscribers receive promotional and exclusive offers, personalized texts based on preferences and behavior, and two-way conversational messages in real-time.

According to ABG, Brooks Brothers and Lucky Brand are already seeing successful results with each brand signing up more than 200,000 SMS subscribers, and Brooks Brothers has delivered 152x ROI on its text message marketing program.

“With our focus on delivering digital innovation and customer satisfaction, ABG continues to seek partnerships that empower our e-commerce platform for seamless shopping experiences,” said Adam Kronengold, chief digital officer, ABG. “Through the Attentive partnership we are able to connect with consumers in a new personalized channel, nurture one-to-one customer relationships, and increase brand loyalty.”

"We’re excited to partner with Attentive to bring our shoppers an exceptional shopping experience. Based on the results we’ve seen with Brooks Brothers and Lucky Brand, we’re confident Attentive can accelerate our e-commerce and increase brand loyalty across SPARC’s brands," said Mike Dupuis, chief digital officer, SPARC.

“With the acceleration of e-commerce, including increasingly more purchases made on mobile, brands must innovate to keep pace with the shifting expectations of consumers,” said Brian Long, CEO and co-founder, Attentive. “We are excited to power ABG’s mobile commerce to help the business evolve in new ways that will remove friction in the customer journey and simplify the brand to consumer communication.”

[Read more: Authentic Brands Group acquires Rockport; eyes expansion in other categories]

Based in New York City, Authentic owns a portfolio of more than 40 lifestyle, entertainment and media brands, including retailers such as Eddie Bauer, Reebok, Barneys New York, Brooks Brothers, Ted Baker, Forever 21, Juicy Couture and more.  

The company’s retail footprint spans more than 150 countries, with 10,800-plus freestanding stores and shop-in-shops and 379,000 points of sale. Following next month’s closing of Rockport and Boardriders, Authentic’s portfolio will generate more than $29 billion in annual retail sales worldwide.