Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Partners With Linq To Modernize Recruiting Efforts in Time for Holiday Staffing
Hiring has been, and will continue to be, a massive hurdle, particularly in retail. According to Forbes, in the months leading up to the 2021 holiday season, nearly 1 million of 10 million job openings were in retail.
Over the last year, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F) has invested in modernizing the stores recruiting experience through technology, with a specific focus on speed to hire. “Candidates have a lot of options and in order to capitalize on the best talent, we must be fast,” says James Stokes, Stores Talent Acquisition Lead for North America & EMEA at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. “As we head into Black Friday and peak season, partnering with Linq and its technology is a simple, and efficient way to recruit new store associates across our brands.”
“As we head into Black Friday and peak season, partnering with Linq and its technology is a simple, and efficient way to recruit new store associates across our brands.” —James Stokes
Many of A&F’s best candidates come from in-store interactions. Prior to the introduction of Linq, a candidate would need to click over 15 times before reaching the application for a specific store. Additionally, there was not an easy way to digitally share employer branding materials or to track what company initiatives interested candidates the most.
Now, with one click, Linq’s technology enables A&F to immediately convert in-person interactions to applications on the spot. By simply tapping their phone, interested applicants are directed to a custom-curated page that seamlessly shares job openings, information about the store and mall location, company culture, and how to apply. Linq’s software also includes powerful analytics allowing A&F to better understand where and how hires are entering the application funnel, location-based interest, and engagement with marketing materials.
"The results from our pilot with Abercrombie & Fitch Co. were truly staggering—we're thrilled to solidify the partnership and to help drive more value from their brand's in-person interactions." —Elliott Potter
The partnership initially launched as a 50+ store pilot where in-store applicants scan QR- and NFC-enabled tabletop Linq Hubs or employee’s Linq Badges to learn more about the store before being directed to a job application for that specific location.
"The results from our pilot with Abercrombie & Fitch Co. were truly staggering—we're thrilled to solidify the partnership and to help drive more value from their brand's in-person interactions. Recruiting is just the beginning!" says Elliott Potter, co-founder and CEO at Linq.
As a result of the successful pilot, both parties accelerated a global rollout across all Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie kids, Hollister, and Gilly Hicks stores to get ahead of the holiday season hiring frenzy. As of September 13th, 900 Linq Hubs and 2,800 Linq Badges will be stationed in all 750+ Abercrombie & Fitch Co. locations worldwide.
About Linq
Founded by Elliott Potter, Jared Mattsson, and Patrick Sullivan, Linq helps enterprises, entrepreneurs, and influencers connect with others in magical and trackable moments.
Linq is a networking platform that enables users—from large enterprises to individual users—to instantly share valuable information through highly customizable pages. The custom landing pages that users create are attached to a variety of smart products that harness QR codes and NFC technology.
What Is NFC?
NFC, or Near Field Communication, is a type of technology that enables wireless communication over a short distance, and without a WiFi connection.
An NFC product works like contactless pay: simply touch the product to a mobile device. But with Linq, instead of exchanging payment information, the mobile device receives a link that takes the recipient to a Linq page that opens in an internet browser (such as Safari or Chrome). The recipient doesn’t need the Linq app to receive the information.
Interested in using Linq's technology for your organization? Check out Linq for Teams.
About Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) is a leading, global, omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for men, women and kids through five renowned brands. The iconic Abercrombie & Fitch brand was born in 1892 and aims to make every day feel as exceptional as the start of a long weekend. abercrombie kids sees the world through kids’ eyes, where play is life and every day is an opportunity to be anything and better anything. The Hollister brand believes in liberating the spirit of an endless summer inside everyone and making teens feel celebrated and comfortable in their own skin. Gilly Hicks, offering underwear, loungewear and activewear, is designed to give all Gen Z customers their daily dose of happy. Social Tourist, the creative vision of Hollister and social media personalities, Dixie and Charli D’Amelio, offers trend forward apparel that allows teens to experiment with their style, while exploring the duality of who they are both on social media and in real life.
The brands share a commitment to offering products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that allow consumers around the world to express their own individuality and style. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates approximately 730 stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites www.abercrombie.com, www.abercrombiekids.com, www.hollisterco.com, www.gillyhicks.com and www.socialtourist.com.