The Consumer Journey

Team A3

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  Primary Research

  Brand Personality

  Consumer Journey

  Current Strategy

  Touchpoints

  Overall Recommendations

Overview

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Primary Research

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 In-depth interviews

 Focus group

 Virtual shopalong

Methods

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Focus

Group

Ben Liu, 26 Ryan Green, 31 Jim Janes, 295

Projective Technique

  Task: Participants were asked to map out their process of buying dress shoes.

  Supplies: Magazine clippings, poster board,

push pins, markers

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Projective Technique Outcomes

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In-Depths

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Virtual Shopalong

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Key Findings

  Social Media Habits

  Double the shoe, Double the time

  Independent Shopper

  Store Visit

  A Gambling Game

  Stroll-Around

  The Boss’s Shoe 10

Meet Allen

  24-35 years old  Bachelor’s degree  In graduate school or full-

time job   Takes news intake

seriously  Present on main social

media platforms  Cares about style but it’s

not central to his identity

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Key Insight

Measuring Up “The shoes I buy need to have plenty of options for me to choose from. I need a pair of shoes that want to be

worn as much I want to wear them. I need them to help me make it through my current job and onto my next promotion. The shoes should make me feel confident,

not cocky, every time I enter my office. Most importantly, these shoes should fit to the size of my feet

and the size of my aspirations.”

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The Consumer Journey

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There are 7 key stages in this journey.

The Consumer Journey

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Need recognition

Stage 1: The Push

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  Motivates Sensible Style Seekers to start thinking about a new dress shoe purchase

  3 Triggers  Catalyst Event  Out with the Old  Confirmation from My #1

  Dress shoes seen as need-driven purchase

Stage 1: The Push

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Stage 2: Gaining

Momentum

Research, exploring your options18

 Google is King.

  Research time short

“For dress shoes I’ll spend a little bit more time… maybe an hour I’d say.”

  Laptop vs. Mobile   General indifference

  Critical point for Sensible Style Seeker to be introduced to the Allen Edmonds brand

Stage 2: Gaining Momentum

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Sizing

Stage 3: Peak of Anxiety

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  Mission vs. enjoyable experience

  Sizing causes most of the anxiety

  Universal standards

  Sizing issue may postpone the journey

Stage 3: Peak of Anxiety

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Trying on, product assessment

Stage 4: Let’s Go

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Stage 4: Let’s Go

  Straightforward goal:

“Find the right shoes for the need

at hand.”

  Target prefers physical stores

  Leads own shopping experience

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Decision to buy

Stage 5: Feel the Rush

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Stage 5: Feel the Rush

  Balance between the price and the shoe benefits  Not brand loyal or store loyal  Only increase their initial budget by $50

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Purchase reflection

Stage 6: Looking Back

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Stage 6: Looking Back

  Incubation period

  Questioning their purchase

  Uncertainty is overcome

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Stage 7: Worth It

Consumer satisfaction 28

  Shoe choice represents who they are and who they want to become

  Confident in personal style abilities

  Prepared to embrace any opportunities that come their way

Stage 7: Worth It

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Current Strategy

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  Unique Selling Points

  Customer relationship marketing

  Limited traditional media

  Targeted advertising

  Other Media Strategy

  Product placement

  Press Mention31

Unique Selling Points and Customer Relationship Marketing

  Made in America

  Hand made process and Recrafting

  Large variety of size options

  Master fitting

  Customer Relationship Marketing

  Catalog & Email

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Targeted Advertising   Search Engine Optimization  Sponsored Facebook ads General targeted advertising space

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Product Placement & Fashion Features

 American Hustle The Butler Lonely Island USA Networks

 White Collar  Suits

 GQ Esquire

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Presidential Inaguration

 Even when Obama did not pick Allen Edmonds, press picked it up as a story

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Touchpoints

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Print and Digital Intake

  Digital news sources  Work-related publications  Male-targeted lifestyle sites  No “style” blogs  Awareness and consideration set

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Public Relations

  Media mentions

  Partnerships

Reddit AMA with CEO Paul Grangaard  Brand voice

  Focus on placements

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In-store Experience

  Attentive salespeople!

  Target shops independently !

  Noncommittal!

  Store organization!

  Salespeople should tailor communication style

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Customer Service   Customer Relationship

Marketing (CRM)

  Employees answer phones

  Chat option on website

  Interactive Fit Guide

  “See with pants”

  Free shipping on orders over $100 and free returns

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Customer Service

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Website

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Website

Website

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Website

Broken links and occasional mobile link errors

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Consumer’s Social Media

  Most heavily use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

  Present on most of the top platforms

  Follow celebs, athletes and brands

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AE Social Media Overview

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn YouTube

51k likes 8.1k followers

13.9k followers

800 followers

1.5k followers

2k subscribers

3-4 posts per week

4-5 tweets per week

2-3 posts per week

New pins every two weeks

No new posts in 4 mo.

No new posts in 6 mo.

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Social Media

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  Content diversity  Tailoring images to proper platforms  Interaction with fans   Ditch Pinterest

Overall Recommendations

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1. Made in America

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Made in America

  Central to brand’s current identity

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Made in America

  Millennials are the least patriotic American generation  70% of Baby Boomers consider being American

an important part of their identity  45% of Millennials consider being American an

important part of their identity

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/05/upshot/younger-americans-are-less-patriotic-at-least-in-some-ways.html

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Made in America

“Seeing the flag makes me feel very or extremely good.”

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/05/upshot/younger-americans-are-less-patriotic-at-least-in-some-

ways.html?abt=0002&abg=1

Made in America

Target’s View:

“I’m a very ‘buy-local’ kind of guy... but I’m not going to pick out a shoe based on whether it was

made in the U.S. or not.”

“I feel like sometimes when someone says something is made in America it’s like

they’re trying to make a point that I didn’t care about in the first place and sometimes

that’s a little annoying.”

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Made in America

Made in USA vs. Italy

  Italy had better sentiment than USA

  Well-made, expensive

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Made in America

  Tone down presence of “Made in America” in brand image

  Stick with it for brand history and origin story

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2. Content Marketing

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Content Marketing

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Content Marketing   Top of the funnel:

  Awareness stage   Help the target connect the

dots from the problem to how to solve it

  Middle of the funnel:  Consideration stage  Show the complexity and

expertise involved in solving the problem

59http://www.hingemarketing.com/blog/story/why-you-should-integrate-the-content-funnel-into-your-firms-technology-mark

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Content Marketing

Shoe Care & Recrafting

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Content Marketing

Sizing System

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Content Marketing

Humanize the Brand

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3. Brand Appearance

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Brand Appearance

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Brand Appearance

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4. Loyalty

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Loyalty

Current opportunities for repeat purchase & loyalty:   Email & mailing list  Giveaways and contests  Select sales  Catalog & App  Special online offers

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The A.E. Gentlemen’s League

Loyalty

  Free shoe care essentials with purchase

  Persuades first buy, encourages future loyalty

  Establishes relationship with target

  Feel like they are getting a ‘good deal’

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Loyalty

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The A.E. Gentlemen’s League

Loyalty

  Inspires confidence in purchase  Shoes for ‘real men’  Allen’s voice   ‘Chivalry Is Not Dead’ mentality  Opportunity for AE to track

customer from first purchase

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Questions?

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