The Sears Wish Book catalog is getting a social media makeover this holiday season. The retailer said November 9 that it will enhance the catalog with social shopping capabilities and make it available online and through smartphones, iPads and Facebook.
Consumers can visit Sears.com/wishbook to browse available products and create personalized wish lists. Visitors can also “Make a wish on Facebook” and share a product they want with friends and family. The site also allows visitors to sign up for SMS alerts for special offers and products.
“It is all fused together for the customer,” said Tom Aiello, spokesperson for Sears Holding Company. “I grew up on the Wish Book catalog, and now I’ve got young kids, and I can share that with them, or we can break out the iPad app while sitting on the couch.”
Sears launched an interactive version of the Wish Book last year. It also recently launched the AdYourWay online shopping personalization tool.
Sears will still distribute the traditional print Wish Book catalog to millions of homes, but enhance this year’s edition with QR codes. Consumers can scan them to view more product information and videos.
The Wish Book iPad application allows consumers to hunt for gifts with Sears’ “Trending Tree” and “Snow Globe” features. A “Bumpin’ Santas” application, which encourages consumers to collect Santa Claus characters by “bumping” their smartphones with those of others, is also available through iTunes.
Aiello said these enhancements create more opportunities for shoppers to interact with the Sears brand, while making it easier and more fun for them to shop.
“One [platform] doesn’t necessarily replace another one,” he said.
Sears Holdings also said November 10 that it will debut online gift cards for its Sears and Kmart retail brands this holiday season.
