Omni-channel retail strategy & Design
Valtech (white label solution)
Valtech partners with many sports and outdoor retailers that face similar challenges. I created an omnichannel retail concept for Sports Republic, a fictional brand used as a white-label showcase to illustrate how omni-channel solutions can transform retail journeys.
Foundational discovery and define work
The assignment was done for Valtech
The goal
Users were excperiencing a plethora of issues due to the multi-channel approach
The problem area
Brand image
Action - The main question we aimed to solve was “How can an omnichannel strategy, in which digital and physical shopping are integrated, solve frictions in the current shopping process for Sports Republic, a sports and outdoor retailer?" We employed a large variety of discovery research in order to gain insides of existing, winning omnichannel experiences in order to best solve this problem.
Foundational discovery
Expert interviews
We interviewed global experts from Valtech on previously made experiences
Competitor analysis
We analysed global players in the sports and outdoor branch like REI
Surveys
We set out a survey amongst a wide group of athletes from starter to experts
Desk research omnichannel
We researched the heck out of omnichannel experiences
Service safaris
We sought out experiences beyond retail, like museums
Shadowing sessions
We followed customers in the store to better understand their behavior
Stakeholder map
We researched the heck out of omnichannel experiences
Business goals
We sought out experiences beyond retail, like museums
From this research we established
Three target segments
Beginner / Intermediate / Expert, each with clear goals, pain points, and preferred guidance.
Customer journeys
Buying journeys that mapped emotional states, friction points, and channel shifts.
We brought concepts to life by following the climber’s journey, integrating an omnichannel framework combining online, in-store, and new digital touchpoints to show how the ecosystem could support them from first interest to confident purchase and use.
Understanding the omnichannel framework on various levels
Macro
Mapping the customer evolution in their total lifecycle
It's important that there are key moments in a customer journeys that evolve them. In this case, each target group knew three stages of growth.
Meso
Understanding the transitions between each cycle
Each step taken usually involves a trigger, an action and a certain result that requires a certain channel. For each cycle, different needs are to be met.
Micro
Individual buying journeys
Each buying journey is unique based on the given channels. It's important to distinguish the difference phases and channels involved.
We experimented with a lot of diffferent channels in order to have people be helped in their preferred way
Result - We brought our vision through life with an actual omni-channel purchase experience. Starting through voice, mediated by the phone, experienced in store with tracked performance of a wearable.
We used DialogFlow in order to built a voice agent. To test the role voice could play in the omni-channel experience.
Though the use of voice was initially at home, we also explored what voice can do in the context of using and trying products in store.
Give feedback through voice on your wearable through voice, or make notes of findings whilst using the items.
Instead of immediately ordering them online, we incentivize to use the products for sale in actual sport environments.
All recommended items would be ready for use at location.
Valtech now uses Sports Republic as a showcase for retail clients. Our work resulted in:
A detailed service model for omnichannel retail, grounded in research and real user needs.
A prototype experience that makes the strategy tangible for stakeholders and clients.
A playbook capturing the system thinking, journeys, and solutions, ready to adapt for different retailers.
This project is fueled by joy with…
Sharon Kneepkens
UX Designer
Zeferino Defretes
UX & Brand Designer