LeBron James' Uninterrupted eyes DTC growth with mobile app

LeBron James’ brand is looking to go mobile.

The news: Uninterrupted, the athlete empowerment brand within the SpringHill Company founded by NBA star LeBron James and sports-marketing mogul Maverick Carter, is building a new mobile app in partnership with no-code platform Tapcart.

How it works:

Through the app, fans can shop for merchandise, as well as engage with a community of fans.

The launch will coincide with the debut of the Uninterrupted spring line, called “The 300 Collection.” Inspired by baseball star Mookie Betts’ passion for bowling in the offseason, it features items with vintage bowling vibes.

Uninterrupted’s goals for the mobile app include: New user acquisition, higher sell-through rates and increased customer retention.

Key quote: "Product, content and community" are the three pillars of Uninterrupted's mobile strategy, said SpringHill Company VP of Commerce Steve Friend. "It is extremely important for us to stay up to date on the most current tech trends and methods in connecting with our consumers, both on their turf and in intuitive ways that matter to our business. Leveraging Tapcart allows us to reach our audiences and communities on a more personal level by meeting them on mobile, which gets us one step closer to our goal of 1-to-1 engagement within our community."

Mobile growth: Uninterrupted is moving to where shoppers are going. The return to brick-and-mortar stores hasn’t brought a slowdown in the growth of mobile shopping. According to Adobe Analytics, the 2022 holiday shopping season was a “turning point” in adoption, as a majority (51%) of Cyber Week sales were made using smartphones for the first time. Increasingly, shoppers are using mobile devices to toggle between in-person and online shopping. Apps can help to meet them along the way.

Going DTC: Along with the move to smartphones, brands and retailers are seeking to host more sales on direct channels rather than social media. NewStore found that 60% of consumers prefer in-app shopping experiences over the mobile web. For brands, the shift is also in part a response to privacy-oriented changes in digital advertising and the opportunity presented by the ability to access first-party data directly from sales and loyalty programs. Uninterrupted said the app will enable it to offer customers a more tailored experience that feels unique to them, as well. It plans personalized clothing recommendations and targeted content.

A winning record: In the era of celebrity brands, this isn’t the first collaboration between an athlete’s brand and Tapcart, which serves Shopify-powered brands. Previously, the platform’s app helped international soccer icon Lionel Messi’s apparel brand to triple sales in a month. Now the platform will be seeking to repeat, and help another legend grow their DTC business.