Year
 2017 (2 weeks)
Client
Nike (AKQA)
Role
User Research & Design

Designing an aftercare service for speciality sports retailers

Speciality sports retailers were being substantially outperformed by flagship stores & discount retailers. Nike felt that they were missing out on a lucrative opportunity to maximise the sales potential of these retailers, as well as improving the relationship between themselves and these retailers.

 
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Discover

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USER RESEARCH
visited speciality sports retailers & ran an online survey

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IDEATION
exercises such as Crazy 8’s etc.

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CONCEPT TESTING
In-person ‘Smoke & mirrors’ prototype testing

 

Retailer Insights

  • Customers shop in speciality retailers due to the attentiveness & expertise of the staff, and the oft niche products.

  • Speciality retailers are harder to find online.

  • They can’t compete on price with discount retailers.

  • Often feel unheard by the big brands who they provide valuable product feedback to.

  • Tend not to have sophisticated logistics systems and struggle to manage inventory.

  • They don’t gather or utilise their customer data effectively.

  • Don’t have the time or resources to market themselves properly to compete with the big brands.

  • They don’t manage their time as well - are overwhelmed during busy times and underused during quieter times.

NIKE Discovery.png
 
 

Initial Solution

We decided upon a solution which would address several of the problems which affected speciality retailers’ business; time management, logistics, custom retention and the fact it is difficult to find them online. We ideated around the concept of a conversational interface which would sit within facebook or snapchat, and act as a smart directory for speciality retailers.

NIKE Chatbot.png
 
 

Concept Testing & Insights

We tested our concept by putting together a ‘smoke & mirrors’ chatbot prototype. I interviewed users on the street and asked them to interact with the ‘chatbot’, whilst my teammate responded to the user back at the office. We also put together a prototype video and tested that with users. 

There was an overwhelming response that they didn’t ‘trust’ the intention or reliability of the ‘chatbot’ on facebook. 

NIKE Concept Testing.png
 
 

Pivoting on the solution

Following the less than favourable feedback from testing the chatbot, I felt we should focus on utilising the strengths of the speciality stores rather than focusing on their shortcomings. Customers shop at speciality stores as they receive great customer service from expert staff which encourages a deeper trust between the customers and retailer than at a less personable high street store.

Instead of the ‘chatbot’ we should onboard people via the speciality store themselves, who have already gained the customer’s trust following their first experience with the store.

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Define

 
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EXPERIENCE FLOW
Laying out how the service technically works for the customer and the retailer.

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CUSTOMER JOURNEYS
defining the retailer and customer journeys before & with our solution

 

The solution

Our solution provides a way for customers to directly contact speciality retailers whenever they need, whilst providing a way for retailers to take back control of their customer base.

How it works:

NIKE How it works.png
 
 

How this enhances the customer experience:

NIKE Journeys.png

Design

We designed a prototype for the customer, retailer & brand experience; a conversational interface for the customer (on mobile), a customer dashboard for the retailer and a trends dashboard for the brand (on tablet).

 

Designs for customers

The value is that they can communicate at their convenience, get tailored information about sports they are interested in and get rewarded for loyalty by using a trustworthy, unbranded service.

 
 
 

Features

  • Communicate with store staff at their convenience

  • Book appointments & reserve products

  • Receive expert advice

  • Receive a personalised shopping experience

  • Receive product exclusives, discounts, test new products and become brand ambassadors

 

Designs for retailers

The value is that they have more control over their customer base & data, building better relationships with customers which in turn can provide them with detailed insights on shopping habits and trends, helping them to make more informed buying decisions & gain more customers. 

 
NIKE Retailer Designs.png
 

Features

  • View customer profiles & their store trends

  • Manage admin, shipments and customer appointments easily

  • Build accessible customer profiles & database through ongoing communications and sales

  • Communicate with customers easier. 

  • Support from AI bot when staff is unable to respond or during peak hours

  • Access to more detailed sales data and customer behavior trends from their store

  • Direct contact with Nike

 

Designs for Nike

The value is that through detailed customer profiling and access to regional & national consumer trends, Nike can create better products and get a steer on the competition, whilst also improving their relationship with speciality retailers and providing them the opportunity to sell regional data back to the individual stores.

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Features

  • Easy to use dashboard of regional & national trends consumer data & qualitative consumer feedback

  • Communication channel with retailers via web app dashboard resulting in real time product feedback

  • Search filters provide views of specific trends, analyse sales data or view qualitative customer feedback.

 

User testing insights

Testing the updated designs received more positive feedback, with people stating that it had a ‘personable voice’, made them ‘feel valued’, and would encourage them to be ‘loyal’ to a certain store. The fact that the service was ‘unbranded’ also made them trust it more and feel more secure that any advice or suggestions would be unbiased.

Deliver

 
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LAUNCH STRATEGY
delivered ideas about how to launch this into the market

 
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CLIENT TAKEAWAY
delivered a takeaway including the designs, insights, technical information & launch strategy

PITCH DECK
presented to CEO of AKQA and the Nike EU head of speciality retailers

 

Key Learnings

 

The problem not the solution 
It was sometimes difficult convincing people we can’t choose a solution because it’s ‘cool’. I proposed we concept test several solutions, and select the one that resonated most with the users. 

Promoting the value of UX
Coming straight from an intensive UX course to working in multidisciplinary teams, I had to strike a balance between educating others on the how the design process can improve our solutions and ensuring I was still open to alternative tools & processes.

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