retail

adidas: Sprinting to a 40% conversion increase

adidas is always looking for fresh ways to innovate and deliver – it’s why they’re one of the world’s top brands. When adidas came to us they were curious. They wanted to see how Agile practices and new ways of thinking could improve their online journeys and design processes.

And when they came to us for guidance, we couldn’t wait to jump on board.

Meet adidas

adidas needs no introduction. A global sports and retail brand with millions of loyal “sneakerhead” customers – who are often willing to queue through the night for the latest sneaker release. They’ve been a leading brand in the industry for over 100 years. That’s a lot of sneakers. And they wanted to find new ways to improve their customers’ digital journey, with better outcomes and a more positive user experience.

The brief

With the eager eyes of millions of sneakerheads fixed on your every move, you’ve got to stay on top of your game. And with their constant commitment to change, adidas wanted to see how Agile design sprints could help accelerate innovation. Since the e-commerce store is their highest-revenue channel, they were keen to fast-track improvements to the digital journey of their loyal sneakerhead fans. And they’d heard we were the right people to talk to.

The challenge

A new way of working could have a big impact on adidas. But they also had specific challenges to focus on.

To meet the brief we had to:

Design a way of keeping dedicated sneakerheads actively interested and engaged in the long cycle from product announcement to “The Drop”
Create a positive brand experience for loyal fans who miss out on hot new products – and keep the goodwill going until the next release
Lean into the use of user-generated content across the e-commerce site, creating personal connections while also driving conversions

For sneakerheads, the teasers, the timing and the thrill of the chase are half the fun. Our challenge was to keep that engagement alive.

The solution

Discover

It all starts with research. adidas gave us access to a ton of valuable consumer research data, but we wanted to take it one step further. Our quest for insight took us to London and Amsterdam, talking to customers and retailers in person. Their audience wanted clear information, not whispers spread by social media or online communities – meaning adidas.com had to become the one source of the truth. We needed to understand what makes the adidas team tick, and immerse ourselves in their brand design. By bringing together multifunctional teams, we established a collaborative and long-lasting partnership.

Design

First, we put quarterly Agile design sprints in place. Co-creation was the watchword; working with the client’s design and product teams across multiple physical locations in Europe, we could rapidly explore and prototype ideas.

And because we’d put the legwork in on the design language, our co-created sprint outcomes were ready to go. The regular inclusion of real sneakerheads in the process meant we could validate our ideas at the point of creation.

We’d test these solutions and get customer validation during the process – and the best solutions were production ready within weeks.

Deliver

The result? The first features went live just three days after the first sprint. But it was more than just a quick win – by working closely with adidas, we helped them design and deliver experiences that took the purchase journey to new levels of engagement and excitement, with user-generated content seamlessly woven throughout every stage. The new functionality immediately starts building anticipation before a new release, using storytelling, user journey-aligned product shots and dynamic countdowns to keep building that excitement all the way to the drop.

The outcome

adidas saw a monumental increase in the web stats.

Product description pages had a 37.7% increase in traffic.
Overall page views went up by an impressive 72.8%.
Conversions from user-generated content rose by 40%.

When your sales figures are as big as adidas’s, that means millions more in revenue.

But the benefits went far beyond those results.

We left a lasting legacy – adidas now has the knowledge, tools and experience to continue Agile design sprints independently, while also knowing we’re right there if they need anything at all. And beyond that, we facilitate two- and three-day senior leadership retreats for the digital side of their business.

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