Indianapolis — hhgregg is launching a sweeping new go-to-market strategy this month that will include branded shops, store remodels, a new logo and ad campaign, and an emphasis on post-sale satisfaction.
Recently named chief marketing officer Julie Lyle told TWICE the effort is designed to differentiate the CE, appliance and furniture chain within a competitive marketplace by emphasizing its strengths, including a well-trained consultative sales force.
At the same time, the company is working to remove any “pain points” from the customer experience by improving the point-of-sale, delivery and online shopping processes, and will emphasize post-sale satisfaction in its sales training and consumer advertising.
“We want you to love what you buy at hhgregg after you get it home,” Lyle said.
A key element of the company’s “brand transformation” will be a store redesign, expected to roll out in 2015, that will include new signage, fixtures, adjacencies and brand experience centers. The branded shops, highlighting LG, Samsung, Sharp and Sony A/V, are already in test and will begin appearing in select stores as early as June.
On the advertising front, a new TV commercial breaking this month conveys a family’s post-purchase joy, and will be broken out into 30-second promotional spots that also emphasize hhgregg’s price competitiveness. The company is also testing a possible new price-matching policy, Lyle said.
“The omnichannel environment is challenging everyone in retail,” she noted. “We needed to re-think and in some areas re-invent ourselves.”
The program follows a recent string of sales and earnings setbacks for the multiregional chain, including a projected net loss and 10 percent net and comp-store sales declines for the fiscal fourth quarter.
Lyle, a veteran of Walmart, Prudential and Pamida, joined the company in December and spearheaded the transformation effort after weeks of competitive analysis and consumer research.
“This is not just an advertising campaign or a simple change in taglines,” she said. “This is a brand transformation — encompassing everything from our company culture, to our product selection, to our customer service. This is a long-term endeavor central to the core of our organization, from store associates to the CEO.”