The ModCloth iPad app is free to download from Apple’s App Store. According to ModCloth, one of the company’s biggest learnings thus far with mobile is to treat each platform differently.

“One thing we know is that no experience can be a silo,” said Fontaine Foxworth, associate product manager at ModCloth, San Francisco.

“We’ve been very deliberate to build the experience for each platform, but still ensure that the experience flows smoothly across all access points,” she said.

“We know that our girl might be tapping in to ModCloth on different devices during the day to do different things. It’s not just a touch-and-go relationship, we have her keep it seamless across the devices.”

Shop on mobile
The app’s home screen is divided to focus on two different types of products – new arrivals and top-rated items.

Products can be filtered by size, price, brand and new products. Items can also be shared via Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

A prominent search bar at the top of the page lets users type in keywords to find specific items and also serves up recent popular searches for consumers.

Push notifications are also personalized throughout the app. For instance, consumers can pick individual products to receive notifications on when a user-generated review is added.

To favorite items and check-out, consumers have to create a ModCloth account.

Wish lists can also be created via a ModCloth account.

“Ultimately, we want our community to have the best possible experience, no matter what platform they’re using. We’re getting social shopping right across platforms by staying in lockstep with our community,” Ms. Foxworth said.

“Community is the key to our success,” she said. “Our customer has asked for a more versatile tablet experience, which is what we’re striving to deliver.”

Sophisticated commerce
Nowadays, many online retailers have rolled out mobile apps for the iPad.

Consumers increasingly expect to shop from their favorite retailers from whatever device is closest to them.

Therefore, streamlining the shopping process for consumers is key.

In this case, push notifications are a great way for ModCloth to drive repeat traffic and sales to the app.

Moreover, the alerts are personalized to each user, making them more effective for the brand to get a better understanding of what consumers are looking for in the app.

“Mobile is a tool that we can leverage to bring the company vision to life,” Ms. Foxworth said.

“Mobile is no longer it’s own silo – it has become a part of every department’s strategies,” she said. “Knowing that mobile is top-of-mind for the whole company allows us to react quickly to our girl’s needs as an organization. We know that listening to our customer is a critical piece of building an experience she loves, so we will continue to build and respond to the needs she has and tools she uses.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York