Nike SwooshiD
An in-store footwear customization pilot in Nike Portland.
Background
Nike Footwear Customization was challenged to attract consumer interest at brick & mortar retail. Long lead-time (4-6 weeks), overwhelming choices (10+ decision points with seemingly endless options) and the fact that it’s always a separate experience from footwear shopping journey, were the top hurdles to overcome. The Brand Innovation team was tasked to rethink the in-store Footwear Customization experience.
What we found through our initial research was that brick & mortar consumers want instant gratification. The desire to walk out of the store with the product was our key criteria for success.
My Role
As the lead designer on the team, I led the initial in-store research that uncovered the customer pain point and store operation challenges around the existing in-store footwear customer experience - NikeiD Studio.
I led the design brainstorm and collaborated with a local digital agency to build the customer footwear wall interface and the app on store staff’s mobile devices.
I collaborated closely with Nike Portland store and turned it into a living lab to prototype different iterations of our design after store hours.
I created and owned the customer journey map that enabled various moving parts to come together harmoniously to deliver a seamless experience for the consumer and store associates. This customer journey map became the single source of truth for all parties involved to work towards one vision.
I led the in-pilot research that gathered real-time feedback from customers and staff members and synthesized insights to inform the next phase of the pilot.
Impact
We achieved over 200% increase in sales of the piloted footwear compared to baseline in the 60-day pilot. During in-pilot research, we received overwhelmingly positive consumer feedback that validated our hypothesis that same-day service and the simplicity of the experience deliver the optimum customer value. We had also collected valuable learning to further improve operations during Phase 2 of the pilot.
We won the most prestigious Nike Maxim Award for Best Retail Innovation that year.
Customer Interface
Consumers were overwhelmed by the number of options in footwear customization offered by NikeiD. We decided to focus on 3 simple choices: upper color, swoosh color/pattern and lace color. This shortened the typical hour-long decision-making process down to 3-7 minutes. To bring delight, we designed a digital interface that’s fun and easy to use for both the customers and staff members.
Customer shopping journey
Another challenge was embedding the service in the path of customer’s shopping journey. Traditionally shoppers had to go to NikeiD studio, a different part of the store, to customize their shoe. This meant taking them away from their existing shopping journey at the footwear wall. To combat that, we installed a touch screen in the middle of the footwear wall so you can customize their shoes right where you browse and shop.
By integrating peripheral devices (like the label printers and the lace wall) nearby and giving staff mobile devices with real-time update of the orders and queues, it allowed us to keep the entire experience centralized at the footwear wall.
App for the staff
It became clear that we needed a tool in the hands of FOH (Front of House) staff so they can give real-time updates to the consumers on their orders. We created an easy-to-use app for the staff mobile device so they can “add an order”, “view an order”, “edit an order” and “view the queue” to best assist the customers.
Customer response
During in-pilot research, we received overwhelmingly positive customer feedback. Customers couldn’t help but “show off” their own design. This proved our hypothesis that same-day service (instant gratification), simplicity of the experience and integration of the service at the footwear wall would deliver the maximum customer value.
“Bought 2 pairs of SwooshID shoes. Customer service was excellent (Alberto) and the experience was fun. We’ll be back.” - Tania, Sydney, Australia
“Beyond the coolest experience ever. You need this at all your stores. I am hooked and already planning my next pairs!” - Todd Gubler, Port Angeles, WA
It’s cool that my son will have shoes he got to ‘design’ himself.” - Kellen’s mom from Portland, OR