Marc Rosen, CEO of JCPenney

Serving America’s Diverse Working Families  

In an economy and world that’s challenging, finding opportunities to succeed is crucial. Reestablishing with their customer base further to coming out of bankruptcy is something the company has set itself as a top priority.

“JC Penney is an iconic American brand that serves the core of America. And those diverse working families absolutely deserve a great place to shop where they don’t have to make the trade offs that they have to make in their everyday life. So for us, it’s all about that trade off between style and value, and experience and letting the consumer have a moment where they they can live life free of trade offs. “

Leveraging their customer base of over 50 million who have been part of their loyalty program, is a big move to turn adversity into opportunity for team Marc. Fulfilling the needs of these customers and helping them experience their everyday lives with the products and services they want is a great business opportunity to “serve and celebrate” with America’s diverse working families.

“We need to love those who love us more. There are so many goods and services that we offer across such a wide range, that the opportunity for us is to say, how do we get those customers who already know us, who know the brand, who loved the brand – so many consumers have a deep nostalgic relationship with the brand; how do we get them to visit us more frequently? And to use our services and to buy more from us -that’s really the biggest opportunity. “

Offering Shoppers Value Buys

Setting the course, making tough calls in this transformation that is large scale and scope is what Marc sees as number one on his agenda, being leader of his organization. Deepening the relationship with the customer, and making sure there’s right things to offer them “so the consumer continues to shop the way they do both online and in store, and for the omni channel shopper, how do we have that merchandise and assortment in the right place to be able to serve them” all go into offering shoppers that value buy. A good assortment of national brands and private brands that the company has entered into partnerships with, offer that “price and quality”, in turn translating into a value buy for the consumer. As Marc puts it “When I look at the economic environment right now, I’d say it’s absolutely an opportunity for us because the consumer needs value.” Analyzing customer journeys and meeting them where they are, sort of in their mindset and shifting to a digital savvy approach is trending big at JCPenney right now.

Rebooting Beauty 

With a strong focus on America’s diverse working families, customer analytics has become a pivotal component in the company’s strategy. Being in tune with what the customer wants, unlike traditional retail setup with managers pushing categories, the focus now is on data analytics and understanding customer journeys, to be able to address and pivot as necessary. “It’s making sure that the assortment reflects that and the store and online experience reflects it. We can have all the merchandise, but if it’s not easy to find, easy to locate and simple to see how to put it together-whether it’s outfitting for home or apparel, you want to see that, and what is the expression of style, so that we can help you put it together and serve that role.”

Inclusive Health, Beauty and Wellness

With three hundred or more new brands, it’s a revamped beauty offering at JCPenney. Offering a “hyper inclusive, all in one beauty experience”, the company saw the need to expand and cater to every customer that would walk in.

“We saw a group that wasn’t actually getting their needs met. We saw a group that would come in, and they didn’t see product that looked like it was meant to be on their skin tones. At the core of who we are is inclusivity, and it is making sure that we have an inclusive environment, and an inclusive assortment across the stores. So that is at the heart of JC Penney Beauty and we brought in almost 300 new brands.”

The inclusivity with both customer side and supplier base has paved the way for really great makeup brands, in addition to some of the core traditional brands one would expect to find. Personalization in the beauty category is another strong focus area and as to the significance of it – “The question was, how do we help that customer who’s online have that same experience that they could have with one of our beauty consultants in store. Giving people the confidence that they’re getting a product that’s going to make them look and feel great is really important.”

Partnering with Personalization Leader – Revieve

JCP partnered with Revieve to bring their instore and online customers personalized buying journeys when looking for health, beauty and wellness products, services and treatments. This AI-powered skincare advisor experience and true-to-life AR-powered makeup try-on capabilities deliver on JCPenney Beauty’s promise of being a one-stop-shop that celebrates customers’ unique, authentic beauty.

“Customers are shopping and excited about finding newness – new styles, trends and products. Where they choose to shop will come down to the experience the retailer can consistently provide. With more options to choose from than ever before, customer segmentation and personalization will be key. At JCPenney, we’re committed to delivering style, value and experience and helping customers discover the products they need,  In the Beauty Category, through our partnership with Revieve, our online JCPenney Beauty experience includes a virtual makeup try-on and skincare quiz where JCPenney’s Skincare Advisor can use a simple selfie to analyze more than 120 skin metrics to provide an in-depth analysis of your skin.”

With “71% of transactions online coming from loyalty program customers”, it definitely makes sense to address the digital marketing strategy and all of the communication so personalization takes centerstage when it comes to evolving the marketing and communication side.

“The customer has told us who they are and what their needs are. So it’s really our responsibility to use that to give them a better experience. We have now customized and tweaked a lot of our e-mail communication to be more personalized and relevant in nature. And we’re seeing great results from that test and that’ll continue.”

As for other merchandise areas, Forever 21, Frey and Co, Reebok are all part of the exercise in offering great products and great brands to customers. All these new brand offerings, coupled with Salon and Beauty departments and offering more personalization to customers, understanding their needs and shopping behavior certainly underscores Marc’s philosophy, “it’s all about loving those who love us more”.

Upgrading In-store Resources and Support

With 20,000 seasonal employees joining to cater to the demands of the holiday season, customer focus (and love) will continue to be part of the reboot journey that is “continuing to evolve as we go through time.”