Academic Project: Group
How might Allbirds show up, gather customers, and provide omni-channel experiences?
We began the project by conducting thorough online secondary research. This involved delving into the history and brand of Allbirds, reading reviews, and paying attention to the perspectives of both past and current customers, as well as critics and loyalists.
We conducted primary research by visiting several Allbirds brick-and-mortar stores, purchasing shoes to gain firsthand insights into the customer journey. Additionally, we explored other retail establishments such as Lululemon, Notre, Rothy's, Lori's, and Apple to understand analogous experiences.
Then, we conducted three 45-minute interviews with owners of Allbirds shoes. The focus was on understanding their firsthand perspectives on shopping in general and the Allbirds brand, specifically to:
1. Identify the benefits consumers receive from choosing Allbirds over other athleisure shoes.
2. Evaluate the extent to which brand actions influence consumer buying decisions.
3. Examine how shoe brands differentiate themselves in the market to attract consumers to both physical and digital storefronts.
4. Understand how much consumers are willing to sacrifice (in terms of money, time, quality, etc.) to make sustainable shopping decisions.
5. Determine consumers' preferences and dislikes regarding purchasing and experience channels (mobile app, web, in-store) in retail spaces.
6. Explore customers' expectations and views on sales associates in high-end, high-tech shopping spaces.
Our research enabled us to pinpoint the Allbirds target consumer and identify key themes associated with the shoe shopping experience for customers.
We developed insights related to these themes, establishing a connection between our research and the conceptual development.
This framework visually depicts Allbirds' current strengths and weaknesses, highlighting areas where the brand excels and where improvements are needed. Our concept was designed to specifically address the challenges that Allbirds currently faces.
Based on the themes and insights that came out of our research, we developed the concept of "Flock Up", a week long collaboration between Google and Allbirds.
The persona and storyboard shown below portrays the offerings and overall experience of "Flock Up."
We further dissected the concept components into a matrix to demonstrate its viability from a business perspective.
In conclusion, we projected the trajectory of "Flock Up," envisioning its impact on Allbirds and outlining our vision for the future.
