This year, Sears and Kmart are aiming to make it easier for its members and customers to buy and receive gifts. To further entice consumers, many Shop Your Way rewards members will also get a last-minute special gift of up to $10 in points that they will be able to use.

“Last-minute shoppers can find blockbuster deals through all of Sears and Kmart’s integrated shopping channels, including mobile, with savings of up to 75 percent off on the stores’ most popular brands and products,” said Tom Aiello, divisional vice president of Sears Holdings.

“Customers and Shop Your Way rewards members can shop more than 50 million items through our endless aisles online, through the mobile apps or use our in-store terminals at the register to buy online,” he said. “Many Shop Your Way rewards members will also get a last minute special gift of up to $10 in points to use for shopping between Dec. 21 and Dec. 24.

“Sears Holdings remains a leader in shopping convenience and technology and our relentless focus on integrated experiences enables us to offer super conveniences across all channels for our Sears and Kmart customers.”

Holiday efforts
Via the last-minute holiday push, Sears and Kmart are hoping to create added conveniences that bridge the in-store, online and mobile space.

For example, consumers can buy gifts on their mobile device and pick up for free the very same day with the option to text upon arrival for curbside delivery in some locations.

Moreover, the Shop Your Way rewards program now features daily sweepstakes, personalized deals and other customized benefits to further engage new and loyal customers.

Consumers can participate in the program by accessing Shop Your Way through the company’s Web site or by downloading the mobile application.

The popular Shop Your Way mobile app lets shoppers check if an item they want is in stock at local stores for same day pick-up.

The app also notifies members of exclusive holiday savings and mobile coupons.

Members can return or exchange items without a receipt or pay off their layaway through a mobile device.

“Our Sears and Kmart mobile offerings are a quick and easy way to get the gifts you need and in time,” Mr. Aiello said. “We’ve experienced an increase in the penetration of customers using our mobile apps and mobile sites, as well as the integrated way they are using them.

“For instance, shoppers can purchase gifts on their mobile device and pick up for free the very same day with the option to text upon arrival for curbside delivery in some locations,” he said. “Over half of our mobile orders are fulfilled in stores, which show how customers are embracing our integrated retail offering.

“Sears’s and Kmart’s free Shop Your Way rewards program enhances those conveniences with daily sweepstakes, personalized deals and other customized benefits.”

Past efforts
Sears and Kmart have been ramping up their mobile efforts over the past couple of years.

In October, Kmart and Sears announced that they would arm their store associates with both mobile point-of-sale devices and tablets to help prepare for the flood of in-store holiday shopping.

Kmart and Sears are among several mass merchants viewing mobile POS as a way to tackle long in-store lines. Additionally, store associates will be equipped with tablets to help consumers navigate the in-store experience (see story).

Last month, both companies offered consumers a fully-integrated shopping experience for Cyber Monday with access to major deals via its mobile applications (see story).

“Mobile is critical to our integrated strategy,” Mr. Aiello said. “As a leading mobile retailer, our relentless focus on integrated experiences enables us to offer superior conveniences for our Sears and Kmart customers, such as the buy online, pickup in-store feature, guaranteed to be ready in five minutes.

“Plus you can text us when you get to the store for curbside delivery,” he said. “Customers can also make layaway payments on a mobile device, and Shop Your Way members receive personalized deals, rewards points and shopping privileges through the Shop Your Way app,” he said. “This year we have introduced mobile checkout at Sears stores that will speed up the checkout process for customers.

“These are just a few of the ways we’re utilizing mobile this year to connect the in-store, online and mobile experiences to enhance the customer and member experience.”

In 2013, Sears Holdings will continue to advance its fully-integrated retail solutions to provide seamless accessibility to endless aisles of online merchandise through desktops, mobile apps, tablets and in-store at Sears and Kmart.

“We will accelerate our engagement with Shop Your Way members utilizing the program’s core platform ShopYourWay.com and the Shop Your Way mobile app,” Mr. Aiello said.

“Of course, as mobile continues to explode next year, so will our mobile integration for customers and members,” he said. “And finally, we’ll continue to add merchandise categories to our online store Sears.com, making it a one stop site for all your needs.”