Kmart’s stores may face an uphill climb in competing with those of their big-box rivals, but a web site launched by the company shows they do have some fierce partisans. Hits to Kmart’s Internet community site, Kmartforever.com, jumped 20,000 in one day after Kmart released news of 326 store closings as part of its reorganization plan to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy, says a Kmart spokesman. And though intermingled with complaints about stock levels, maintenance and other issues at specific locations, most of the posts to the site’s bulletin board following the announcement expressed regret at planned store closings, pleas to keep local stores open, and ideas for boosting store performance back into the black.
The community site’s had more than 100,000 hits since it was launched quietly by Kmart last August. Other than a toolbar link to Kmart.com, it carries no sales or advertising messages. It’s become a gathering point for store loyalists, a mouthpiece of sorts for customers wanting to air views with Kmart management, and a window on customer’s mind-set for Kmart management.
Strategically, it’s a way to leverage grass-roots support for Kmart -- a combination of loyalty, nostalgia and opposition to the other big-box chains -- that exists among some consumers in communities served by Kmart stores. In addition to Kmart Corp. news, local news stories involving Kmart stores, and the moderated message board, Kmartforever.com has a “take action” section with tips on how to conduct community outreach or write a letter to the editor, and links to searchable databases of local newspaper, TV and radio station contact information.
“We figure the people who come to the site are those who feel some kind of ownership in Kmart. This lets us open a dialogue with them to create an army of supporters, if you will,” says the Kmart spokesman.
Posts to the site that single out particular stores or employees for significant praise or criticism are e-mailed to local store managers. Relevant posts to the site are batched and e-mailed to Kmart management weekly, a mix of good in-store experiences and those less so reported by shoppers, including suggestions on store improvements, some of which Kmart has already implemented. One of the more popular? “Replace the linoleum flooring,” says the spokesman.
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