Case Study: Sears & Kmart achieve 47% of app installs and 97% CPI cost savings with Branch

Sears & Kmart Drive Digital Transformation Success with Branch

Sears & Kmart, long-standing retail brands, faced a digital transformation challenge as shoppers moved to mobile: their apps delivered higher lifetime value and features like in‑store pickup, but the teams needed seamless cross‑channel journeys to convert loyal shoppers into app users without friction. The goal was to route mobile web visitors into the app while preserving context and boosting engagement.

Using Branch’s Journeys across mobile sites, Sears & Kmart deep‑linked new users through the install flow, integrated performance with Adobe Analytics, and used dynamic targeting to suppress overlays, drive frequent browsers at a 2.5x click‑to‑install rate, and auto‑open the right in‑app content for logged‑in users. The program made Journeys a primary, cost‑effective acquisition channel—driving 47% of app installs in one year—and delivered an average cost‑per‑install 97% lower than the industry average for paid app install ads.

Sears & Kmart

Adi Gaber

Director of Product