Finish Line Bolsters Customer Loyalty with New App to Improve the Shopping Experience

SOURCE: IBM

INDIANAPOLIS and ARMONK, N.Y. – Oct. 13, 2014 – The Finish Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) announced the launch of its new mobile app aimed at providing services and conveniences that reward Winners Circle loyalty program customers with points and loyalty perks.

Available as part of the athletic retailer’s mobile commerce platform, the new Winners Circle customer loyalty app reinforces brand interactions, improves customer service and sales, and also provides timely information about customers’ favorite product releases.

“We closely examined the needs of our customers and created features within this app that make it easy for them to keep tabs on their Winners Circle points, rewards and special offers,” said Danielle Quatrochi, Finish Line’s Vice President, Digital. “This app enhances our customer experience as another omnichannel resource, especially for those who shop us regularly. We’re excited to offer them details that assist in the decision making process right from their smartphones.”

The Winners Circle app includes features for customers such as:

Rewards – Get up to date information on Winners Circle points and direct access to rewards. Customers can scan rewards or coupons in the store directly from the app or use them online.

Message Center- Keep an eye on exclusive offers, hot releases, and local events with the message center.

Account/Order Tracking – Track orders and check order history from anywhere. View Winners Circle points history. Manage a Wish List and share it socially. View and scan a Winners Circle card and edit the online customer profile quickly and easily

 Product Scan – Scan the bar code on a product in a Finish Line store and read information on that product to make the shopping experience even better.

 Release Dates – Stay on top of things and never miss a new shoe release with this feature. It includes a calendar of the releases complete with photos and details of the shoes.

 Store Locator – Simply open the store locator feature and the closest stores will show up, including the store’s address.

Finish Line teamed with IBM (NYSE: IBM) and IBM Business Partner PointSource on the app’s development. It was designed using the IBM MobileFirst application development portfolio to capture the attention of sports enthusiasts and provide a rewarding user experience.

The new app is an important component of Finish Line’s strategy to deepen the understanding of the customer, inform enterprise decisions and encourage loyalty and sales, and incorporates the in-store sales associate in the overall customer engagement. For example, using geo-location technology, customers can get push notifications and information about nearby stores including real-time visibility into inventory to determine if a specific item is in stock and available for purchase. The app also enables customers to make purchases directly from the store’s website no matter where they are.

“Leveraging mobile clearly brings value to the Winners Circle rewards program—particularly when you consider that many shoppers actually look for offers on their mobile devices while they’re in the store,” Rodney Bryant, retail expert and consultant, IBM Global Business Services. “The collaboration with Finish Line and PointSource creates greater insight into consumers’ purchase patterns and shopping preferences to be able to improve and personalize interactions at every touch point.”

Finish Line’s mobile solution, created by PointSource, is the first to use SoftLayer and Xtify, part of the IBM ExperienceOne portfolio, to provide cloud-based access to the IBM MobileFirst portfolio and a personalized notification strategy.

About The Finish Line, Inc.

The Finish Line, Inc. is a premium retailer of athletic shoes, apparel and accessories. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Finish Line has approximately 1,020 Finish Line branded locations primarily in U.S. malls and shops inside Macy’s department stores and employs more than 14,000 sneakerologists who help customers every day connect with their sport, their life and their style. Online shopping is available at www.finishline.com and www.macys.com. Mobile shopping is available at m.finishline.com. Follow Finish Line on Twitter at Twitter.com/FinishLine and “like” Finish Line on Facebook at Facebook.com/FinishLine. Track loyalty points and find store and product information with the free Finish Line app downloadable for iOS and Android customers.

Finish Line also operates the Running Specialty Group. This includes 59 specialty running stores in 13 states and the District of Columbia under The Running Company, Run On!, Blue Mile, Boulder Running Company, Roncker’s Running Spot, Running Fit, VA Runner banners and CapitalRunWalk banners. More information is available at www.run.com or www.boulderrunningcompany.com.

About IBM MobileFirst

IBM’s 5,000 mobile experts have been at the forefront of mobile enterprise innovation. IBM has secured more than 4,300 patents in mobile, social and security, which have been incorporated into IBM MobileFirst solutions that enable enterprise clients to radically streamline and accelerate mobile adoption, help organizations engage more people and capture new markets. Through IBM’s partnership with Apple, the two organizations are transforming enterprise mobility with a new class of industry specific business apps. For more information on IBM MobileFirst, visit the press kit or www.ibm.com/mobilefirst. Follow @IBMMobile on Twitter, and see IBM MobileFirst on YouTube, Tumblr and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements  

This news release includes statements that are or may be considered “forward-looking” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words or phrases such as “believe,” “expect,” “future,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “foresee,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “estimates,” “outlook,” “potential,” “optimistic,” “confidence,” “continue,” “evolve,” “expand,” “growth” or words and phrases of similar meaning. Statements that describe objectives, plans or goals also are forward-looking statements.

All of these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, management assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statements. The principal risk factors that could cause actual performance and future actions to differ materially from the forward-looking  statements include, but are not limited to, the company’s reliance on a few key vendors for a majority of its merchandise purchases (including a significant portion from one key vendor); the availability and timely receipt of products; the ability to timely fulfill and ship products to customers; fluctuations in oil prices causing changes in gasoline and energy prices, resulting in changes in consumer spending as well as increases in utility, freight and product costs; product demand and market acceptance risks; deterioration of macro-economic and business conditions; the inability to locate and obtain or retain acceptable lease terms for the company’s stores; the effect of competitive products and pricing; loss of key employees; execution of strategic growth initiatives (including actual and potential mergers and acquisitions and other components of the company’s capital allocation strategy); cybersecurity risks, including breach of customer data; and the other risks detailed in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date of this report and Finish Line undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.