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App Store Spotlight - Rent the Runway

March 29th, 2022

App Store Spotlight - Rent the Runway
David Bell

by David Bell

CEO at Gummicube, Inc.

Get ready to strut and strike a pose – It’s couture without the couture prices. The app, Rent The Runway has democratized high fashion for everyone and lets us envision a more sustainable future in fashion. Featured in today’s App Store Spotlight as Apple’s App of the Day, Rent the Runway lets users Rent, subscribe to, or buy designer brand clothing without breaking the bank.

The fashion world faces a combating set of interests for quality, branding, and environmental consciousness. Consumers often have to result to trade-offs – high fashion comes at the price of affordability and fast fashion designs at the price of quality and environmental impact. Rent the Runway seeks to eliminate these barriers by offering a unique way to shop for the brands we gush over – without putting strain on our wallets or the environment.

The clothing and retail app category is filled with numerous competitors – each with its own specialization and product offerings. From resale platforms like Poshmark, big-name enterprise giants like ZARA, and subscription-based apps like Stitch Fix, there is high competition across the category. To stand out, Rent The Runway needs an App Store Optimization strategy in a highly saturated marketplace.

Rent the Runway Metadata

To make a statement in the app store, apparel retail app developers have to go above and beyond to compete. A simple search of clothing apps in the search bar will populate thousands of retail brands and purchasing platforms. So how can Rent The Runway stand out?

1. Rent The Runway - App Title

The app title is one of the most fundamental metadata elements, and it is one of the first points of contact the user has with an app page. The app title should serve to inform the user about the brand and feature offering concisely. Currently, Rent The Runway only uses their brand as their app title. While the brand name is relatively recognizable for current or familiar users, it may not be effective enough at capturing and informing new and potential users. Title tags are an excellent way to support further indexation on the App Store. Additionally, title tags offer additional yet brief information about app features right where the user can see them.

2. Rent the Runway - Subtitle

Like the app title, the subtitle is another visible metadata element on the search page and the app product page. The subtitle should serve to supplement the app title with additional app features and value propositions. Keywords in the subtitle, title and keyword bank are all fair game in the indexation process. Currently, Rent The Runway uses the subtitle to restate its app title. By doing so, Rent The Runway forgoes additional opportunities for indexation, and repetition of keywords doesn’t help in the indexation process. To maximize metadata indexation opportunities, Rent The Runway should consider targeting additional keywords associated with their app features. However, Rent The Runway also needs to understand what its target audience searches for. With the help of ASO technology and tools like DATACUBE, Rent The Runway can see what terms and phrases their users search for and employ them in their metadata strategy to increase visibility.

Rent the Runway Creatives

Show-stopping creative elements are quintessential to retail app success. It’s not enough to be runway ready in features – developers must also convey relevancy and features effectively by engaging creatives in app screenshots, preview videos, and app icons. While Rent The Runway currently uses some ASO creative best practices, it still has room to improve.

1. Rent The Runway - Screenshots

All creative elements are directly responsible for conversion. To convert users effectively, developers need to engage and inform their audience outside of metadata elements. Screenshots are an invaluable creative asset that gives developers the opportunity to introduce the app prior to the user initiating a download.

Currently, Rent the Runway has 6 total screenshots that introduce valuable app features like discounts, designers, and purchasing options through the use of visible copy and emphasized UI. However, the lack of consistency in their screenshot color story makes it look a bit incongruent with Rent The Runway branding. Consistency provides the user with visual cohesiveness and enforces branded attributes. Rent The Runway should consider creating a screenshot set that better enforces its branding colors. This would reinforce the branding connection – making the user’s download decision process smoother.

Overall

Rent The Runway is paving the way to more financially and environmentally conscious designer purchases for everyone, but The App Store retail environment is packed with competition. To stand out, developers have to go above and beyond in their metadata and creative strategy to better target their users and increase visibility. For Rent The Runway, creating a robust and diversified ASO strategy is key to its long-term success on the app store.

Want to learn more about App Store Optimization? Contact Gummicube and we’ll help get your strategy started.

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