Following its virtual trade event last month, Abra Wholesale has partnered with technology specialist RNF to organise what it claims to be the industry’s first mobile-only Black Friday event.
The idea was first conceived two years ago by wholesale expert and managing director at consultancy Store Excel David Gilroy as a more cost-effective and agile alternative to traditional in-depot trade events.
Rob Mannion, managing director of RNF, said: “The idea behind the mobile-only Black Friday event is to drive greater engagement between Abra and its customers, encouraging more customers to download the app and make use of its remote ordering facility while incentivising those who already have the app to make greater use of the technology.”
Craig O’Connor, managing director at Abra, said: “We trialled the concept with our virtual trade event last month, which delivered impressive results, including a 443% increase in new daily active app users and the highest ever transactions from the app on a single day.”
And Gilroy added: “Where virtual events such as this score over traditional trade events is that they take considerably less time to set up than ‘real life’ events, which require significant investment in print and promotional materials, and can be highly targeted for different customer groups.
“As increasing numbers of customers download and begin using the ordering app, we are seeing significant increases in both ‘virtual depot’ visits and basket sizes, demonstrating that the greater convenience offered by the app, combined with intelligent, personalised and relevant use of the data it provides, results in a win-win for both wholesalers and their customers.”
