Facebook Messenger is powering a new Zulily LLC marketing program aimed at new mothers as the flash-sale site continues to use the platform to get closer to its customers.
The company launched what they’re calling the Fourth Trimester Closet Concierge to provide style advice to women in their first few months of being a mom.
“We’re trying to enable a direct chat line to our maternity and fourth-trimester experts in house,” explained Jason Buursma, marketing manager of engagement marketing at Zulily.
Customers using Facebook Messenger reach out to Zulily with the hashtag BFFS, which stands for Baby-Friendly Fashion Squad, to be routed to a stylist. The service is available throughout March with chat available Monday through Friday from 7 to 8 p.m. EST.
Buursma reported some volume and engagement thus far in the concierge’s early days, saying the company wanted to get the service out of the gate slowly and will begin to ramp-up marketing and promotions around it as the month goes on.
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Zulily has been using Facebook Messenger for almost two years now as another customer service and marketing channel.
“We’re continually trying to find the best medium to interact with our customers on and as consumers are transitioning more into the mobile space, we’re finding that the Messenger platform has been very engaging,” Buursma said.
Facebook Live has been another tool Zulily’s dabbled with, beginning with the back-to-school selling period when the company used Live for a week in August. That was followed by pushes of beauty and toys during the holidays and a month in February featuring product across categories. A spokeswoman said the company will continue testing Facebook Live throughout the year.
“We don’t typically have a brand ambassador in a brick-and-mortar store like other retail companies, so we’re excited to use the platform to fill that gap,” Buursma said.
It appears the company will continue to dabble in ways to engage with its customers.
“We continue to enhance our customer experience and innovate in existing and emerging engagement channels through our investments in marketing and technology opportunities and will continue to focus on these areas in 2017,” Zulily president and ceo Darrell Cavens said in a statement at the time of the company’s 2016 annual results.
Zulily revenue rose in calendar year 2016 by 14 percent to $1.5 billion with an operating loss of $152 million, which the company attributed to purchase accounting adjustments related to the acquisition.
QVC Inc. parent Liberty Interactive Corp. paid $2.4 billion for the flash-sale site pioneer in 2015.