Penney thinks app is perfect match for customers
When shoppers see a piece of clothing through a store window that is way out of their price range, they now have a quick way to find and buy the nearest possible cheap facsimile — that is, if it is available at J.C. Penney. The retailer recently rolled out a feature for its iPhone shopping app that allows shoppers to take pictures of clothing and then search jcpenney.com for an item available on the site that appears closest to the one in the image.
According to a Forbes.com article, customers can take a photo of an item they see in real life, in another catalog, or even scan a barcode or QR code and run it through the app to produce a result from Penney's web store. The department store claims its image search functions more quickly and effectively than others offered by companies including Macy's and eBay. Penney plans to make the image search feature available for its Android app in the near future.
The department store chain's recent moves into tech-savvy territory have been somewhat controversial. In May, Penney partnered with Apple to create one of the first shopping apps for the Apple Watch. The move was considered off-brand by some, given that the Apple Watch is a high-priced item targeted at a younger demographic and Penney is generally seen as a discount retailer with a less tech-enabled customer base.
Source: jcpenney.com
The Washington Post, however, reported in May that half of Penney's 86 million customers use iPhones, perhaps disproving the notion that shopping for discounts on clothing corresponds to eschewing higher-end tech purchases, especially on items as ubiquitous as smartphones.
Building features like image search into its shopping app also appears to be in keeping with the company's focus on its customers in the post-Ron Johnson era. On Penney's Q1 2015 earnings call, CEO Mike Ullman said, "We prefer obviously to have success across all channels, but ultimately it's the omnichannel customer that's going to be the best customer for us." Marvin Ellison, Penney's president, will replace Mr. Ullman as CEO next month.