Online shopping has been a huge habit in the digital era due to the ease of finding what you want without going to a store, possibly finding sales, and using the customers' comments as advice to make sure you are getting the best quality item. I personally give credit to Amazon for paving the way for other online markets. Now it is the standard for online markets to implement groundswell elements in their business such as customer feedback. Every online business knows by common sense that everything that they do should be for their customers. In order for companies to grow with the groundswell, there have to be mental shifts taking place in order to think clearly what can be done for the company before they can build strong foundations on those ideas and move forward. And of course there needs to be executive support to finalize the transforming decisions.
Jack Threads started in 2008 in Ohio by Jason Ross (CEO & Founder) as a online website that sold overstocked mens clothes from lesser-known brands for a cheaper price and for a limited time (this is the flash sale method of selling). Like Amazon, the online aspect of purchasing clothes for Jack Threads worked for the business, but what made them different is that they offered daily flash sales for several items of a 40-80% discount via email. Their thought behind this method of sales, as explained by the company, is "that taking some risks with your style is something that every guy should be comfortable doing." Since the 2010 collaboration with online newsletter Thrillist, Jack Threads has elevated into one of the most known and reliable sites for men to shop for street wear and contemporary clothes that has created around 1,000 brands of its own and has gained over 4 million members. According to their Facebook, their company is "Empowering guys everywhere to look like a million bucks without spending a million bucks".
Jack Threads Video
Groundswell, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, constantly preaches the importance of the customer interest and opinion for any business, so it is imperative in this age of technology for a company to use their technologies to not only reach out to their customers in many ways but to be able to listen and respond to them. As implied in the book, this company's engagement with their customers has definitely allowed them to expand and establish themselves throughout the internet. The last chapter of the books talks about preparing for the future of the groundswell and how to prepare for it. Competition is always going to be an ongoing thing, but this company stays afloat by maintaining its two relationships; between its customers and the brands that are featured on the site.
What separates Jack Threads from other online vendors is the integration with Facebook (785k followers) that allows users to sign up and login to Jack Threads right through Facebook. Not only is the company spreading awareness and support through social media, but it allows people to join their site via Facebook. This allows for automatic updates on Facebook whenever a purchase is made so that the user is buying merchandise from the site while promoting the company.
The Facebook page for Jack Threads is constantly uploading relatable content that promotes their products as well as replies to questions or comments wether they're positive or negative.
Their Twitter (82.3k followers) and Instagram (57k followers) accounts are also effective in spreading awareness due to the fact that men want to be able to view these clothes and spark up ideas on these sites that are the most used. While Instagram shows the visuals of Jack Threads' products and relatable photos, Twitter does the same and also replies and retweets general tweets, including those of customer support. Giving more reason for the customers to stick around, the customers feel appreciated and makes them loyal to the company.
Jack Threads is only improving and innovating thanks to its relationships with its brands and the customers. It is safe to say that this company has grown and earned to perfectly listen, talk to, energize, and tap into the groundswell. In the future, I can see this company create more relationships with brands, increase their sales, and apply itself to more technologies. Of course, this company will have to follow the 7 steps in success with the groundswell as mentioned in the book (Remembering that the groundswell is a person to person activity, Listening, having patience, Being opportunistic, being flexible, being collaborative and being humble). The whole idea of this business being exclusively online really gets online users involved into the groundswell, but I feel like having several stores would be a major step in their advancement as well as spreading their presence throughout various social media outlets in the internet.
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