A major rebranding can cause quite a stir, especially when it involves a household name. Bed Bath & Beyond had been a staple in many families’ home goods shopping, but as time went on the brand struggled to maintain its status and eventually failed. That all changed when Overstock announced its acquisition of Bed Bath & Beyond in June of this year, prompting curiosity about how the company would bounce back.
So far, it looks like customers are greeting the new and improved platform with excitement, with a surge of 60% in site visitors according to an Earnest report. How is this translating into app store performance? In this App Store Spotlight, we’ll compare Bed Bath & Beyond’s old and new app listing, current ASO performance post-revamp, and suggestions we have to leverage their positive momentum.
Considering the company performed a complete overhaul of its app listing, there are considerable before and after changes to note. Capitalizing on the Bed Bath & Beyond brand, Overstock now leverages the home goods store’s identity by incorporating it into different app listing assets. These include:
Each asset listed above has been changed to reflect the Bed Bath & Beyond brand, whether it be through keywords and phrases in the app store metadata or an update to the color scheme of the creatives.
The app title and description have been updated to incorporate the Bed Bath & Beyond name with app keywords targeting both branded terms, as well as feature-related ones. This helps improve the app’s ranking for relevant phrases that weren’t being used before. For example, the app now ranks for the branded term “bath” at #3, jumping from #72 in a matter of weeks. Another notable keyword ranking is for the feature-focused term “shop furniture”, now positioned at #4 whereas previously it wasn’t ranking at all.
It’s important to note that while Overstock’s acquisition and subsequent rebranding likely contributed to the app’s growth, without an optimized app listing, users wouldn’t have been as keen to engage or even discover the app as easily in search results. The inclusion of brand-focused keywords helped the app jump from #8 to #1 for the term “bed bath and beyond”. This helps users land on the company’s app immediately without scrolling through a list of 7 other (possibly competitor) options.
As a result, it’s essential developers prioritize optimizing the elements in their app listing to take advantage of the virality of the moment.
Overstock has effectively rebranded and optimized its new app listing to attract fans of Bed Bath & Beyond’s beloved company through strategic keyword selection and creative optimization. There are, however, some areas where the developers can improve even further to continue improving their keyword rank and grow even more.
The app’s existing subtitle and short description lack keywords that could further help the app rank higher. Overstock’s developers should opt to incorporate more feature-related terms to build relevance and momentum for them as these two app listing elements are heavily weighted by both iOS App Store & Google Play Store algorithms.
The app description could also be improved by expanding upon the app’s features and value proposition. Both the App Store and Play Store description fields allow for up to 4000 characters. This asset is a great conversion opportunity for developers to go in-depth about their app’s features through informative, yet engaging copy. In the App Store description, keywords are not indexed by the algorithm, meaning the structure can rely more on readability and engagement rather than keyword density. For the Play Store, keywords are indexed, so developers will want to prioritize their keyword inclusion here while also striking a balance with user-friendly copy so as to maintain a quality reading experience.
Users are evidently excited at Bed Bath & Beyond’s resurgence. With a revamped app store listing, improved keyword rankings, and positive commercial momentum, the brand looks well underway on its path toward app growth. Time will tell if their newly optimized listing will enjoy continued improvements and leverage initial growth to re-establish Bed Bath & Beyond as the home goods powerhouse it was.
Need help fixing up your app listing? Get in touch with the ASO experts at Gummicube today!
How can developers of journal apps optimize to stay relevant, differentiate themselves, and compete in the App Store? This App Store Spotlight jumps into some of the strategies employed by the top journal apps. Jump in to learn more.
In this App Store Spotlight, we dive into the intricacies of optimizing finance apps and analyze the unique considerations of one of the most popular categories in the app stores.
Gaming is the largest category in the app stores by far. One out of every six games on the app stores is a mobile game, so how can you stand out from the competition? Find out in this App Store Spotlight.