Lauren Hobart
Analyst · Goldman Sachs
Thank you, Ed, and good morning, everyone. I want to start by also thanking our teammates. You are the foundation of our company, and your efforts helped us continue to execute a seamless omnichannel experience and deliver a record-setting comp sales increase for Q2. This morning, I will review our strong brick-and-mortar and online results, and I'll also provide updates on our marketing efforts on our private brands.
First, we experienced a very strong athlete response to our store reopenings. We saw momentum build throughout the quarter and delivered positive double-digit brick-and-mortar store comps during both June and July. Our teammates have worked tirelessly to adapt to a constantly changing landscape and have demonstrated an unrelenting commitment to serve our athletes and community safely. In recognition of our hourly store and DC teammates efforts, we recently announced the 15% pay premium will be extended through the end of the year. In total, during the second quarter, we invested $42 million across incremental COVID-related compensation and safety measures. Going forward, we expect approximately $50 million of similar costs per quarter through the end of this year.
Turning to eCommerce. During the second quarter, our online sales increased 194%, with over 50% mobile penetration. This included Curbside Pickup, where we focused on improving speed and convenience and the athlete response remained very strong. eCommerce merchandise margin expanded meaningfully, which along with higher penetration of Curbside and BOPIS sales drove a significant improvement in eCommerce gross margin. We also continue to reduce delivery times to our athletes even as eCommerce demand remained at unprecedented levels. This success online is a direct result of the technology and fulfillment investments we have made over the years as well as better integration of our digital and store channels, as we work to relentlessly improve the athlete experience, enhance our profitability and build a best-in-class omnichannel platform.
Moving to marketing, where one of our largest assets is our ScoreCard loyalty program. We have over 20 million active users in the program, accounting for more than 70% of our sales. The data from this program drives our digital and direct marketing efforts, which we continued to enhance during Q2, enabling more personalized communications with our athletes. Throughout Q2, we also maintained a strong voice through several compelling marketing initiatives. Our See You Out There campaign inspired athletes everywhere, filling them with hope and motivation to get outside. Our golf-specific marketing was also successful as we focused on our fitting experience and product offerings.
Most recently, at the end of Q2, we launched our back-to-school campaign, which addresses the ever-changing landscape and acknowledges that no matter how you're going back to school, whether it's in person or on camera, you still need to have the best styles. We paired these larger brand campaigns with more tactical marketing around store reopenings and Curbside Pickup to ensure our athletes knew we were there to get product to them wherever and whenever they wanted it.
Lastly, across our stores and online, our private brands remain a key source of strength and differentiation within our assortment. As I've mentioned, they outperformed the company average by approximately 500 basis points in Q2. We've been particularly pleased with CALIA and DSG, which represented our second and third largest women's athletic apparel brands during the quarter. And in total, across all categories after only 1 year following its launch, DSG has surpassed Field & Stream to become our largest private brand.
In closing, we remain very excited about the future of DICK'S Sporting Goods as we continue to leverage our best-in-class omnichannel platform to serve our athletes.
I'll now turn the call over to Lee to review our financial results in more detail.