When it first launched online in 2011, UNTUCKit blazed onto the retail scene with their unique line of men’s shirts that are designed to be worn untucked. The stylishly comfortable clothing line soon gathered a loyal following, and within four years the company began launching brick-and-mortar stores across the country, offering clothing for women and boys as well.
UNTUCKit offers a year-round, 25% discount to all members of the U.S. armed forces, veterans and military family members. For Chris Riccobonno, the company’s founder, honoring the military has always been a priority. He sees strong alignment between the UNTUCKit brand and their military customers — an audience that has a broad diversity across race, religion and income level.
With the holidays in sight, UNTUCKit is reaffirming its commitment to the military segment with an unprecedented promotion bound to impress shoppers everywhere.
Market to the Military by Giving them an Offer They Can’t Refuse
UNTUCKit is opening their hearts and wallets to the military by extending a special limited time offer to all members of the armed forces, veterans and military families: 50% off everything from December 8 – 12. That’s the richest discount UNTUCKit offers, and one the company believes the military fully deserves.
“UNTUCKit has a deep gratitude for our military, and what better way to show our appreciation than by offering them a discount on all the products we offer!” said Alberto Corral, Director of Marketing for UNTUCKit. “We’ve heard and seen that our customers’ appreciation for the military aligns with ours, which has given us a unique opportunity to connect with them.”
Exclusive Military Discounts Drives Brand Differentiation and Loyalty
UNTUCKit’s evergreen and holiday offers reflect their military mantra that “Every Day is Veterans Day.” Moves like this not only express the company’s high regard for military service, they help the brand stand out in the minds of service members and their friends, families and communities.
As Corral sees it, everyone wins. “By offering this discount 365 days a year, we’re able to always honor the military while growing our customer base and building loyalty among those members of the military and their families,” he said.
Research bears this out. Ninety-four percent of present and past military personnel notice when companies are “military-friendly” and have a positive impression of those companies. And 95% percent of active and retired military personnel say they are more likely to shop from a retailer who offers a military discount.
5 Best Practices for Marketing to the Military
Offering a military discount is a smart strategy any time of year, especially if you follow the five best practices exemplified by UNTUCKit’s military program:
1. Make a splash around military and other holidays.
If you have a year-round exclusive offer, be sure to show up BIG for relevant holidays like Veterans Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, as well as seasonal holidays of giving. When your competitors start adding to the noise with their holiday promotions, you can step up your exclusive offer to make it stand out.
2. Make your offer available online.
Nearly 68% of military members currently take advantage of military discounts, but the fact that many discounts are only available in-store keeps that number low. Seventy-one percent of the military market say they would use a military discount “way more” if it was available online.
Many military families live on bases or in nearby small towns, and many active duty military are often stationed abroad. This means they’re not always close to malls, superstores or your brick and mortar shop.
Making your offers available online gives you direct access to this important customer segment and allows military customers and their families to reap the benefit of shopping for your products at a time and place that’s most convenient for them.
3. Include spouses in your military offer.
Ninety-three percent of the nation’s 1.1 million military spouses are women, and they are at the whims of the military scheduling and location transplanting. They also move an average of once every 2.9 years, which can make it difficult to maintain consistent employment.
Extending a military discount to spouses not only provides a generous benefit to people who are service member’s primary source of support, it widens your market reach. Women account for 85% of all consumer purchases, and 75% percent identify themselves as the primary shoppers for their household.
4. Promote through social media and partner sites.
One of the most exemplary aspects of UNTUCKit’s strategy is their promotion of their offers through social media and affiliate sites, particularly via Instagram, Facebook and on Military.com. It’s a move that’s sure to pay off — 94% of military members use social media, compared to 73% percent of civilian adults. And 72% percent of military members said that social media is important in helping them stay connected to deployed family members.
As a marketer, you need to put yourself where the customers are, and social media also allows you to benefit from the social goodwill that highly visible military promotions and special offers provide.
5. Keep it simple and friction-free by using digital verification.
UNTUCKit verifies all their military offers with SheerID’s Digital Verification Platform, a decision that benefits both the customer and the brand.
SheerID provides a seamless, in-brand experience that is easy for customers to complete and requires only a small amount of customer data. And the platform uses multiple, authoritative data sources to instantly verify military eligibility. This makes the process quick and easy for customers, which increases conversion rates and further supports a positive brand experience.
It also ensures that only eligible customers can redeem the offer, which protects your margins by preventing discount abuse, and sends a message to customers that you take their eligibility for your offer seriously.
“SheerID provides our military customers with a quick and easy verification process that’s a seamless part of the brand experience, while protecting UNTUCKit from fraudulent redemptions,” said Corral.
For more information on these and other best practices on marketing to the military, visit our web page: How to Market to the Military.
Learn How Exclusive Offers Can Help You Reach the Military
Download The Definitive Guide to Exclusive Offers, or contact us.