In what will surely be considered a genius marketing move, a Gap store in Vancouver, Canada has turned itself upside down. To explain: Gap has recently rolled out a new rewards program in which customers are automatically refunded the difference in price if a purchased item goes on sale within 45 days. The program — cutesy spelling aside — is called “Sprize” and, accordingly, the refunded cash is called “Sprize Money.”
With one catch: it’s refunded in the form of store credit, which customers can then put towards a new purchase. It’s a clever new packaging (and that’s not including the topsy-turvy store) for a relatively tried-and-true retail tradition — though one that, as Racked duly notes, is brand new to the Gap.
To celebrate (and obviously bring attention to) the new program, the Gap’s Robson Street store in downtown Vancouver has been entirely upended, from bags to signage to, quite literally, the cars parked out front.
The campaign already appears to be working, at least in terms of press. Considering it’s only been launched in ten stores — all of which are in Vancouver and with no plans for expansion as of yet — and considering it’s a relatively simple rewards concept, Coverage so far includes Racked (which was re-posted on Jezebel), BlackBook, and Suite101, among others. But whether any of this will translate into customers parting with their hard-earned, recession-stressed money, well, that’s yet to be seen. We have a good feeling about it though, and in the meantime, it certainly makes for some interesting retail reporting.
Video and more photos of the transformation below…
