Edgars is one of Southern Africa’s largest retailers, serving families across the full income spectrum with value priced essentials, and a wide range of national and international brands. It aims to be the local retail service leader in clothing, footwear, textiles, accessories and cosmetics.

Edgars Club is a rewards program for Edgars customers, who, for a nominal monthly payment, receive special discount offers on a wide range of services, from movies and dining to gym and healthcare.

The Challenge

Edgars and Edgars Club have an extensive consumer base, many of whom have little or no access to computers. Whilst the company had previously explored the mobile environment, operating a variety of SMS competitions, they had not effectively integrated their mobile strategy in order to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them.

The Solution

Fontera approached Edgars with a proposal that aimed to improve and integrate their mobile footprint, expanding their more traditional, one-way communication avenue into an interactive, customer-friendly mobile portal.

Fontera conducted extensive brainstorm sessions with the client, resulting in a completely revised mobile strategy, starting with the creation of mobile sites for both Edgars and Edgars Club. Whilst the Edgars site supplies more information about the company and current specials/offerings, the Edgars Club site acts as the Edgars Club in your pocket and provides a full list of member benefits, as well as interactive features such as a restaurant discount finder.

Fontera also worked closely with Edgars on their SMS campaigns, using their specialised Campaign Management program, CampaignTXT, to manage a diverse range of customer communications, from movie ticket giveaways to bulk messaging solutions.

Fontera also manages a number of smaller, bespoke campaigns throughout the year such as a World Cup 2010 initiative, which encouraged shoppers and club members to submit photos, which would then be available on the website for download, complete with a branded frame. Not only did this result in fantastic exposure for the brand, but also expanded the company’s database extensively, allowing them to reach an even wider audience going forward.

The Fontera Difference

At Fontera, there is no such thing as a cookie cutter solution. All cases are assessed extensively based on the current market environment and the individual needs of the client. It was clear, in this case, that the answer for Edgars was not a simple one, and required a number of different, tailored solutions to achieve success. Fontera prides itself on approaching problems holistically, offering fully integrated, bespoke campaigns with multiple consumer touch points.

Campaign Success

Edgars’ revised mobile strategy was a great success, both for the company and its customers. Not only did the mobile websites and unique competitions give shoppers and club members something to be excited about, but also resulted in a vastly expanded database for the company.

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