Site Shows How to Engage Gen Z
Brand engagement is critical for ecommerce sites, as they look to differentiate themselves and move website visitors toward purchases.
FPgirl, an ecommerce innovator is a terrific example of how to engage target shoppers using technology, entertainment, ancillary sites and relationships. In the past year, FPgirl's engagement model has helped drive registered users from 35,000 at the end of 2011 to nearly 1 million today. So, how does FPgirl do it?
One way is through its partnerships with brands and sites that tween girls (Gen Z) love. FPgirl has found it's a great way to introduce their target audience to what they do.
"Dress-up games like the ones they have on GirlsGoGames are so popular right now, and we really take that kind of experience to a whole new level," said Jeanne Connon, chief marketing officer at FPgirl. "On our site, girls can design their own clothes, dress avatars and even enter fun challenges. Then, they can actually buy and wear the clothes they design. It really gives the girls a sense of empowerment and confidence to wear something they've designed and represents their personality.
"Plus, we've built a really vibrant community. So beyond playing games, girls can post content (how-to, questions, videos and more) and talk about all kinds of topics that interest them beyond fashion, from school to technology, to activities, sports and more.
Although this partnership with GirlsGoGames is no longer active, the campaign was one of the many ways FPgirl mashes social and SEO.
"Our social and search strategies definitely work hand in hand," said Connon. "Every day, we publish a variety of content, some of it is written by the girls and some of it is written by us, and all of it is about topics that tween girls and their parents are most interested in. The girls then add their comments to the content we publish, often a hundred or more comments per post, making the information and conversation even richer. All of this means that we naturally rank really well for terms our community cares about, whether it's fashion and style related, or about beauty, health, their everyday lives and more."
Overall, FPgirl combination of customized commerce, content and community is a girl-driven (a.k.a. targeted audience) experience that's engaging and fun, pushing users toward purchases and brand advocacy.
