Success Story: How Mobile Stories Made their way in the Metro!
Metro AG is a leading multinational corporation based in Düsseldorf, Germany, and primarily operates membership-only cash and carry stores, most notably under the renowned Metro brand. This influential company is dedicated to enhancing user experience, building a deep connection with its customers, and providing unique opportunities for customer savings and product diversity.
Metro AG's driving force is innovation; it continually seeks new and effective strategies to captivate customers' attention and establish a profound emotional bond with its audience. Recognizing the potential in Stories — a format that enjoys substantial popularity across various social media platforms — Metro AG made a strategic decision to integrate this feature into their app. The objective was to provide a more interactive and enjoyable experience for their members, ultimately fostering greater customer engagement and loyalty.
Main Challenges & Implementation
While the idea of implementing the Stories feature into the Metro app was innovative and promising, the process presented several noteworthy challenges.
1. Timeframe and Complexity
The process of integrating mobile app Stories into the Metro app took longer than initially planned. This was mainly due to the unforeseen complexity involved in aligning the content approval process. It was challenging to define who should make the final decision at each stage of content development and approval, causing some initial delays. However, after several end-to-end cycles, a more streamlined content approval process was established, making it easier to manage and control the content.
2. Content Development
The next challenge was around developing compelling and interesting content that would engage the audience. Metro was keen on creating unique and engaging stories that would not just capture the users' attention but also hold it. This required extensive testing and analysis to understand what type of content was most effective, adding a layer of complexity and time requirement to the project.
3. Technical Adaptations
The integration of the Stories feature required some significant changes and adaptations to the existing functionality of the Metro app. Given that the Stories feature was not part of the initial design of the app, there was the challenge of ensuring that the new feature would not only fit seamlessly but also function as intended without causing disruptions to the existing user interface. This presented a challenge due to the resource limitations on Metro's side, which needed to be carefully managed to ensure the successful implementation of the Stories feature.
4. Resources Allocation
The resources needed to implement this project posed another challenge. The Metro team had to balance the resources between their regular operations and this new initiative. This included managing the workload of the team members, making sure they could support the project without neglecting their regular duties, managing the budget allocated to the project, and ensuring that all necessary components, including design, development, and testing, were adequately funded.
5. User Reception
Finally, there was the challenge of user reception. While the Stories format is popular on social media, there was no guarantee that the Metro app users would accept this new format. The team had to carefully design and implement the feature to ensure it would be welcomed by their audience, avoiding potential backlash that could affect the app's reputation and user ratings.
Overcoming these challenges required a great deal of strategic planning, effective communication, patience, and flexibility from the Metro team. However, their commitment to providing a better user experience and connecting more closely with their customers gave them the drive to navigate these obstacles and successfully implement the Stories feature.
Business Results
As a result of the Stories integration project, Metro saw a significant increase in user engagement, a key metric for the project's success. Customers were not only viewing the Stories but were actively interacting with them - tagging, sharing with friends, and leaving positive feedback.
The Stories also played a significant role in sales, particularly in the area of alcoholic products, with a click-through rate of up to 50%. This was an impressive achievement, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Stories in capturing users' interest and prompting them to take action.
Furthermore, the Stories feature in the app helped Metro increase daily and monthly active users (DAU/MAU), showcasing the impact of engaging content on the overall user experience. It also improved the communication with their audience, making it more effective and leading to a stronger connection between customers and the brand.
While specific metrics and numerical data were not shared due to privacy policy restrictions, the overall response to the Stories integration was positive, with customers appreciating the new communication format. The implementation of Stories within the Metro app served as a strategic tool for reaching a larger audience, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and fostering a deeper connection with the brand.