ABOUT THE BRAND
Aviator Nation is famous for its community-driven IRL experiences
It’s hard not to recognize Aviator Nation’s sunset-inspired logo or to hear buzz about the events that happen in any of the brand’s 19 stores. Recently, we sat down with Curtis Ulrich, the Director of Ecommerce, to discuss how his team has continued to strengthen the brand’s already well-established identity with a mobile app.
Curtis’s job is to grow the brand’s digital sales channels, including its online store and shops on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. He also launches new channels and then fosters the brand’s growing customer base across all these platforms.
As Director of Ecommerce, Curtis has found that a mobile app helps create meaningful digital experiences that connect customers’ home screens to Aviator Nation’s in-store events for a unified, brand-building experience.
Several years after its launch, Aviator Nation’s mobile app has successfully allowed the brand to stay engaged with its most loyal customers. Combining the app with the brand’s long-term commitment to real-life activations, the brand has unlocked an enhanced, full-funnel, multi-channel experience that boosts customer loyalty and brand awareness, ultimately increasing revenue.
THE CHALLENGE
Aviator Nation wanted to create meaningful experiences in-store and online
Aviator Nation is an in-person, experiential brand, and has been since the very beginning. When its Abbott Kenny store opened in 2009, the company's founder, Paige Mycoskie, insisted on making room for a stage in the tiny shop. She wanted the store to be a space where the community came together to hang out, listen to live music, and have an authentic experience.
Aviator Nation valued building a strong brand identity and correctly believed that unified brand experiences would drive customer loyalty and revenue.
Today, all of Aviator Nations' in-person stores have community-focused spaces. While this is fantastic for the brand and its customers, it also created a disconnect between what happens in-store and when these events end.
Curtis and the brand had to ask how they could integrate these authentic, in-person experiences with a digital presence that would keep customers engaged indefinitely.
The solution was a mobile app.
"It’s a two-way transaction. Customers come to our event, and when they download the app, they give us a space on their phones. And this allows us to establish and maintain a relationship where we're digitally connected.”
Curtis Ulrich, Director of Ecommerce
THE STRATEGY
The app created a “supercharged retention journey” to keep loyalists close on-the-go
Another key reason Aviator Nation created a mobile app was because retention is so important to the brand, especially as acquisition costs (CPA) skyrocket.
Additionally, according to Curtis, 50% of the brand’s revenue comes from repeat customers.
According to Curtis, “It is quite expensive for us to acquire a new customer. The mobile app was an investment in the customer journey to drive repeat purchases and touchpoints to stay connected to shoppers and nurture them through the second, third, fourth, and fifth purchase.”
To consistently drive repeat purchases, Aviator Nation uses its mobile app for push notifications, new product launches, exclusive sales, and tool stack integrations, like Yotpo, Rebuy, and Klaviyo. These features help Aviator Nation create what Curtis calls “a supercharged retention journey” for customers.
In fact, Aviator Nation has leveraged the Rebuy X Tapcart integration to boost AOV by 15%. This is thanks to intelligently personalized recommendations that maximize order value and increase conversion without requiring the Aviator Nation team to manually determine which products to recommend to different types of shoppers.
But to reap the benefits of a mobile app and integrations like these, Aviator Nation first had to get the channel up and running. This began in 2020, when the idea of launching its own mobile app seemed daunting to the brand. Fortunately, Tapcart’s platform seamlessly syncs with Shopify so that businesses can focus on selling instead of developing (and debugging) technology.
"The Tapcart team has made it incredibly easy for us to maintain a super professional digital profile and keep it updated. Being able to manage our app in an instant makes it easy to slot the app into my workflow and be nimble with marketing launches. Our team can decide that night if we're going to do a huge promotion and sale launch the next morning, since I can whip that up in twenty minutes on the app.”
Curtis Ulrich, Director of Ecommerce
How does Aviator Nation transform real-life event attendees into long-term app customers? The answer is twofold: digital engagement and being top of mind.
Aviator Nation treats its app’s push notifications like a powerful communication tool. The brand sees email, SMS, and push notifications as having their own unwritten rules. For example, there are certainly “quiet hours” for text messages. But with the app, Aviator Nation can be more authentic, real, and playful. Communication can be more frequent, and the messages can be lighter and more unique.
"I think everyone knows the challenges that marketers face with email deliverability. SMS can even be tricky in terms of timing. We know that with our mobile app’s push notifications, there’s more visibility, and it’s instantaneous. There's no lag, delay, or question of deliverability issues. [Push notifications allow us] to be top of mind for those loyal customers with a click of a button.”
Curtis Ulrich, Director of Ecommerce
Additionally, simply owning real estate on customers' home screens is valuable. Curtis believes there are significant benefits to having the brand’s recognizable logo and color palette on-screen when customers use their phones, even if they’re not there to shop. Whether they're sending a text or browsing through social media, there will be a little reminder that Aviator Nation is waiting for them.
THE RESULTS
A mobile app offers Aviator Nation a full-funnel, multichannel marketing strategy that keeps VIP, repeat customers shopping
Aviator Nation has a fairly straightforward mobile app strategy. It occasionally runs app-exclusive promotions, but most deals mimic those on the main website. It also uses QR codes in its brick-and-mortar locations to drive additional traffic to the app.
That said, the app has become a crucial part of the brand's full-funnel, multichannel marketing strategy. Aviator Nation is constantly exploring ways to integrate the mobile app into its users' journeys. This includes prompts to download within welcome emails, QR codes on product packaging slips in customer orders, and giveaways at event activations.
Half of Aviator Nation's revenue comes from returning customers, and according to Curtis, those with the highest repeat purchases often shop on the app. App installs also surged in Q4 during that end-of-year BFCM shopping push. In fact, app installs increased 183% during Q4, showcasing the effectiveness of using mobile app marketing strategies to prepare for the holiday seasons.
“Last year was record-breaking for us,” Curtis said. “Our Shopify rep mentioned we were in the top 25 of total revenue across all Shopify stores for BFCM. The Tapcart sales channel contributed 10% of that revenue, proving to be a significant driver throughout the weekend as we launched new sale merchandise and refreshed our offerings.”
THE FUTURE
Tapcart and Aviator Nation: Continue to create custom content in the app to further blend the IRL and URL experience
As Aviator Nation expands into new ventures like music venues, bars, restaurants, spin studios, and more retail locations, Curtis envisions the app evolving into a comprehensive hub for everything Aviator Nation. The goal is to create a single platform where users can shop the brand’s latest products, book spin classes, check concert schedules, and buy tickets, and receive notifications about community events.
That type of blended digital integration would enhance real-world connections and experiences. Aviator Nation believes there’s an excellent desire for human connection and real-world experiences and that an app is a great way to keep customers close (and shopping) between those in-person events.
Ready to wow your customers with an elevated mobile experience?
ABOUT THE BRAND
Aviator Nation is famous for its community-driven IRL experiences
It’s hard not to recognize Aviator Nation’s sunset-inspired logo or to hear buzz about the events that happen in any of the brand’s 19 stores. Recently, we sat down with Curtis Ulrich, the Director of Ecommerce, to discuss how his team has continued to strengthen the brand’s already well-established identity with a mobile app.
Curtis’s job is to grow the brand’s digital sales channels, including its online store and shops on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. He also launches new channels and then fosters the brand’s growing customer base across all these platforms.
As Director of Ecommerce, Curtis has found that a mobile app helps create meaningful digital experiences that connect customers’ home screens to Aviator Nation’s in-store events for a unified, brand-building experience.
Several years after its launch, Aviator Nation’s mobile app has successfully allowed the brand to stay engaged with its most loyal customers. Combining the app with the brand’s long-term commitment to real-life activations, the brand has unlocked an enhanced, full-funnel, multi-channel experience that boosts customer loyalty and brand awareness, ultimately increasing revenue.
THE CHALLENGE
Aviator Nation wanted to create meaningful experiences in-store and online
Aviator Nation is an in-person, experiential brand, and has been since the very beginning. When its Abbott Kenny store opened in 2009, the company's founder, Paige Mycoskie, insisted on making room for a stage in the tiny shop. She wanted the store to be a space where the community came together to hang out, listen to live music, and have an authentic experience.
Aviator Nation valued building a strong brand identity and correctly believed that unified brand experiences would drive customer loyalty and revenue.
Today, all of Aviator Nations' in-person stores have community-focused spaces. While this is fantastic for the brand and its customers, it also created a disconnect between what happens in-store and when these events end.
Curtis and the brand had to ask how they could integrate these authentic, in-person experiences with a digital presence that would keep customers engaged indefinitely.
The solution was a mobile app.
"It’s a two-way transaction. Customers come to our event, and when they download the app, they give us a space on their phones. And this allows us to establish and maintain a relationship where we're digitally connected.”
Curtis Ulrich, Director of Ecommerce
THE STRATEGY
The app created a “supercharged retention journey” to keep loyalists close on-the-go
Another key reason Aviator Nation created a mobile app was because retention is so important to the brand, especially as acquisition costs (CPA) skyrocket.
Additionally, according to Curtis, 50% of the brand’s revenue comes from repeat customers.
According to Curtis, “It is quite expensive for us to acquire a new customer. The mobile app was an investment in the customer journey to drive repeat purchases and touchpoints to stay connected to shoppers and nurture them through the second, third, fourth, and fifth purchase.”
To consistently drive repeat purchases, Aviator Nation uses its mobile app for push notifications, new product launches, exclusive sales, and tool stack integrations, like Yotpo, Rebuy, and Klaviyo. These features help Aviator Nation create what Curtis calls “a supercharged retention journey” for customers.
In fact, Aviator Nation has leveraged the Rebuy X Tapcart integration to boost AOV by 15%. This is thanks to intelligently personalized recommendations that maximize order value and increase conversion without requiring the Aviator Nation team to manually determine which products to recommend to different types of shoppers.
But to reap the benefits of a mobile app and integrations like these, Aviator Nation first had to get the channel up and running. This began in 2020, when the idea of launching its own mobile app seemed daunting to the brand. Fortunately, Tapcart’s platform seamlessly syncs with Shopify so that businesses can focus on selling instead of developing (and debugging) technology.
"The Tapcart team has made it incredibly easy for us to maintain a super professional digital profile and keep it updated. Being able to manage our app in an instant makes it easy to slot the app into my workflow and be nimble with marketing launches. Our team can decide that night if we're going to do a huge promotion and sale launch the next morning, since I can whip that up in twenty minutes on the app.”
Curtis Ulrich, Director of Ecommerce
How does Aviator Nation transform real-life event attendees into long-term app customers? The answer is twofold: digital engagement and being top of mind.
Aviator Nation treats its app’s push notifications like a powerful communication tool. The brand sees email, SMS, and push notifications as having their own unwritten rules. For example, there are certainly “quiet hours” for text messages. But with the app, Aviator Nation can be more authentic, real, and playful. Communication can be more frequent, and the messages can be lighter and more unique.
"I think everyone knows the challenges that marketers face with email deliverability. SMS can even be tricky in terms of timing. We know that with our mobile app’s push notifications, there’s more visibility, and it’s instantaneous. There's no lag, delay, or question of deliverability issues. [Push notifications allow us] to be top of mind for those loyal customers with a click of a button.”
Curtis Ulrich, Director of Ecommerce
Additionally, simply owning real estate on customers' home screens is valuable. Curtis believes there are significant benefits to having the brand’s recognizable logo and color palette on-screen when customers use their phones, even if they’re not there to shop. Whether they're sending a text or browsing through social media, there will be a little reminder that Aviator Nation is waiting for them.
THE RESULTS
A mobile app offers Aviator Nation a full-funnel, multichannel marketing strategy that keeps VIP, repeat customers shopping
Aviator Nation has a fairly straightforward mobile app strategy. It occasionally runs app-exclusive promotions, but most deals mimic those on the main website. It also uses QR codes in its brick-and-mortar locations to drive additional traffic to the app.
That said, the app has become a crucial part of the brand's full-funnel, multichannel marketing strategy. Aviator Nation is constantly exploring ways to integrate the mobile app into its users' journeys. This includes prompts to download within welcome emails, QR codes on product packaging slips in customer orders, and giveaways at event activations.
Half of Aviator Nation's revenue comes from returning customers, and according to Curtis, those with the highest repeat purchases often shop on the app. App installs also surged in Q4 during that end-of-year BFCM shopping push. In fact, app installs increased 183% during Q4, showcasing the effectiveness of using mobile app marketing strategies to prepare for the holiday seasons.
“Last year was record-breaking for us,” Curtis said. “Our Shopify rep mentioned we were in the top 25 of total revenue across all Shopify stores for BFCM. The Tapcart sales channel contributed 10% of that revenue, proving to be a significant driver throughout the weekend as we launched new sale merchandise and refreshed our offerings.”
THE FUTURE
Tapcart and Aviator Nation: Continue to create custom content in the app to further blend the IRL and URL experience
As Aviator Nation expands into new ventures like music venues, bars, restaurants, spin studios, and more retail locations, Curtis envisions the app evolving into a comprehensive hub for everything Aviator Nation. The goal is to create a single platform where users can shop the brand’s latest products, book spin classes, check concert schedules, and buy tickets, and receive notifications about community events.
That type of blended digital integration would enhance real-world connections and experiences. Aviator Nation believes there’s an excellent desire for human connection and real-world experiences and that an app is a great way to keep customers close (and shopping) between those in-person events.
