The document proposes a new mobile app called Macy's Weddings to optimize Macy's wedding registry system and build lifelong relationships with brides and grooms. The app would have many of the same features as the main Macy's app but be specialized for wedding planning. It would allow users to create registries, maintain to-do lists, access advice and suggestions. The document compares Macy's registry features to competitor Bed Bath & Beyond, noting BBB's app is more user-friendly. It argues Macy's long history and personal services would help the new app succeed by better engaging millennial customers who increasingly rely on mobile apps.

1. Macy’s Marketing
Challenge
Group Members:
Frank McGinn
Tom Appel
Jessica Tinker
Colton Yeick

2. Vision
In today’s world of vast technological
development, businesses must adapt to the
consumer’s ever-growing reliance on mobile
applications, as well as their need for instant
gratification.
Macy’s is no exception.

3. Executive Summary
Mission Statement
Our plan focuses on the ways in which Macy’s can utilize
it’s mobile application to optimize the effectiveness of it’s
wedding registry system, as well build lifelong relationships
with brides and grooms. The plan is to create a sister
application, called Macy’s Weddings, to the main Macy’s
application. In terms of design, this application would fit
well into the structure of the Macy’s parent application, yet
still possess all the qualities of a standalone application. In
its current form, the Macy’s mobile application lacks the
unique aspects which would set it apart from it’s leading
competitor--- Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

4. Macy’s Influence throughout
History
Macy’s has been influencing the lives of Americans across the
nation since 1877. Macy’s is as much apart of American
culture as The Women’s Rights Movement, Jackie Robinson,
and T.V dinners. For as long as Macy’s has been welcoming
Americans through their doors, Americans have been
welcoming Macy’s into their homes. For many Americans,
shopping at Macy’s (whether in stores, online, or through a
mobile platform) is a time-honored tradition, among the likes
of having something new, borrowed, and blue before walking
down the aisle. Items purchased at Macy’s are often passed
down for generations. The dining ware once purchased at
Macy’s and given as a wedding gift, are also most likely the
same dining ware given to a millennial by their parents, for
use in their first apartment.

5. Why is Bed, Bath, and Beyond
#1 and not Macy’s?
We believe that the key to Bed, Bath, and Beyond’s
successful wedding registry system lies in the
effectiveness of their mobile application, as well as the
attractive website design. Like Macy’s, Bed, Bath, and
Beyond has its wedding registry system built right into
the main application. However, what sets this section
apart from Macy’s is functionality, design, and ease-of-
use. All of these aspects, allow to bride and groom to
not only better plan out their wedding, but become
lifelong customers.

6. Competition Spotlight:
Bed, Bath, and Beyond
From the moment you enter the Bed, Bath, and Beyond mobile
application, you have access to every aspect of their business (ie:
Shop, Scan, Cart, etc.), and large portion of the homepage is
devoted to their “Kickstart Your Registry” page. By clicking this link
right from the home screen, you are immediately brought to a section
in which you can search for products and popular items, create a
registry, and even look at top picks from registry experts. Macy’s
application lacks a variety of these functions. In terms of design,
the Bed, Bath, and Beyond wedding registry is much more user-
friendly on mobile devices than the Macy’s mobile application. The
purple color scheme also sets the registry section apart from the rest
of the application, a decision that could benefit Macy’s moving
forward.

7. Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Macy’s Wedding
Registries (Mobile)
Side by Side Comparisons of Home Screens
Bed, Bath, and Beyond Macy’s

8. Why will our idea be successful?
Weddings nowadays are becoming more and more
elaborate each day. By utilizing Macy’s Weddings,
individuals will be able to quickly complete their registries,
so that they may spend more time focusing on the other
crucial aspects of their wedding.
Macy’s Weddings is as much a mobile application, as it is
a unique entity. This entity will guide you through every
step of the registry process, provide registry help, and
even remind you exactly how much time you have left till
your wedding. With a friendly design that anyone can use,
it is sure to make an impact on the lives of millennial brides
and grooms.

9. Target Audience
Our target audience is millennials between the ages
of 21-36. This group of individuals is well-versed in the
latest technology, and is increasingly reliant on digital
channels for purchasing decisions.
The purple color scheme of our app will appeal more
toward female millennials, however our app will be
beneficial to both brides and grooms alike.

10. Crucial Research:
Millennials Going Mobile
 According to millennialmarketing.com:
 “More than 75% of Millennials have their mobile devices
glued to their palm while in store as a trusted personal
shopping assistant and 73% of Millennials are already
transacting directly on their mobile devices.”
 “15% of Millennial shoppers use mobile applications when
making brand decisions”.
 “56% of respondents overall are likely to spend more
money at a physical store if they have used digital
channels to research the product prior to purchase.”
 “Among mobile shoppers, smartphones are nearly as
likely to be used on the way to the store (50%) as in the
store (60%).”

11. The graphs to the left
illustrate the fact that a
large percentage of
Millennials use
company’s mobile
applications in
accordance with the
desktop version of their
sites. Some individuals
only use the mobile
applications.

12. Moving Forward
As illustrated in the previous slides, more millennials are
relying on smart devices and mobile applications to
make purchasing decisions and establish relationships
with brands.
Users who connect with our wedding registry application
will be Macy’s customers for life. In the coming slides,
we would like to discuss the unique benefits Macy’s has
to offer which set the company apart from key
competitors such as Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Target.

13. App Overview
This app will feature a dual interface
with login capabilities for both bride
and groom, as well as invited
guests. It will consist of five
sections: Summary, Registry, To-Do
List, Perks and Programs, and
Registry Advisors/Suggestions.

14. Guest User Interface

15. App Overview cont…
 Summary section
 This section will consist of three individual
parts:
 Budget – containing a pie chart dividing
the couple’s funds so that they can
allocated evenly across a variety of
essential categories (ie: entertainment,
venue, etc.
 Guest List – listed in alphabetically
 # of Registry Items

16. App Overview cont…
 Registry section
 Products can be found via an interactive
search bar, with pictures and a drop down
menu. Items already a added to the
registry will appear in an organized list,
which may be referred to at any time.
There will also be a listing of popular
registry items by category, as well as a
suggested itemized list based on previous
Macy’s purchases and interests.

17. App Overview cont…
 To-Do List section
 It is incredibly easy to lose track of
important tasks when planning a wedding.
This section will allow each user to
organize their to-do list by due date,
automatically the item with the closest
deadline at the top of the date. As a
deadline approaches, the application will
notify the user at varying lengths of time
before the event.

18. Macy’s Influence
Unlike Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and Target, Americans
recognize Macy’s as a part of their heritage, as well as a
part of who they are and who they have become. From
the moment he and she says “yes!” a couple begins
planning their lives together. The wedding is only the
first step in the direction of their future as husband and
wife. Every detail holds significance and will be
remembered for years to come.

19. Macy’s Influence cont…
From the ring to the registry, Macy’s invites couples to
plan and celebrate with them. Events like sipping and
scanning, the Bridal Salon by Demetrois, and Weddings
with Clinton Kelly allow couples to make each step
towards the walk down the aisle a memorable one. Sip
and Scan offers expert advice on everything you need
to know in order to create the perfect registry. By
allowing customers the opportunity to participate in
these events, Macy’s has opened the door to a whole
new fun, and interactive way to make planning the
wedding of your dreams a stress free process.

20. Macy’s Benefits and Services
Once you and your significant other have created a
registry with Macy’s, each couple is assigned a Registry
advisor to help them through the process and to act as a
guide. Shutterfly will also send the happy couple a flip
book, giving them the opportunity to take a look at some
examples of wedding announcements and invitations. The
first thing couples need to know before making a purchase,
is that with a Macy’s rewards card they will receive 10
percent back with every purchase and 5 percent back with
each gift received. These rewards can be used towards
any and all future purchases, and newlyweds will also
receive 15 percent off on all necessities and 10 percent off
furniture and more.

21. Macy’s Benefits and Services
continued…
Macy’s connects with couples on a personal level, and
holds themselves to the highest of standards. Similar
companies such as Target are less hands on throughout
the entirety of the planning process. Where as Macy’s
understands that each step towards the aisle, is just as
important as the steps taken after the wedding. Target
focuses primarily on meeting the needs after the
wedding, everything needed to build a life together, from
home decor to electronics. Bed Bath and Beyond takes
it a step further, and offers to help find and design the
perfect announcement cards as well as the wedding
invitations.

22. Important Trend: Cohabitation
One current trend in the wedding industry is that more
and more couples are living together prior to tying the
knot.
According to theatlantic.com, “Cohabitation has
increased by nearly 900 percent over the last 50 years.”
According to census data from 2012, there were 7.8
million couples living together before getting married.
This number is astonishing when compared to only 2.9
million non-married couples living together in 1996 (an
increase of about 269%).

23. What does this mean for
Macy’s Weddings?
The fact that more and more couples are living together
prior to marriage means that they already have most of
the basic essential home items, those of which are
common items in any wedding registry.
One current trend in the industry is that couples are
not asking for gifts in the form of home essentials,
but in the form of money for their honeymoon.

24. Dreamfund
We believe that Macy’s Dreamfund can be a great tool to
incorporate into our app. However, the structure of the
Dreamfund would need to be altered to allow for guests to
contribute to a certain couple’s honeymoon fund.
In accordance with couples shying away from essential
home items, Macy’s Weddings will include a section where
guests can log on and be able to contribute to a certain
cash fund through the Macy’s Dreamfund. This cash fund
will most likely go toward the couple’s dream honeymoon,
however it does not have to be limited to that (ie: for
example, a couple might want money donated to a specific
charity of their choosing).

25. Macy’s Benefits and Services
continued…
Most people often overlook the fact that weddings are
costly not only for the bride and groom but also for the
wedding party and the guests, all of whom also need to
purchase airfare, an outfit for the occasion, and a gift for
the happy couple. Macy’s takes away some of the
added expense, by giving guests twenty dollars off their
next fifty dollar purchase once they shop the couple's
registry. With every gift received by couple, they will
receive another gift from Macy’s of a similar product
from the same company, however this is all contingent
on the amount of money spent on the gift itself.

26. Conclusion
Our application, Macy’s Weddings, will turn millennials
into lifetime customers through its unique, user-friendly
interface and wealth of information. It will also increase
traffic to Macy’s website, as well as lead more people to
download the parent application.
Weddings are one of the most momentous occasions
throughout the course of one’s life. Help make the
planning step just a little bit easier through the Macy
Weddings wedding registry mobile application.