Overview

Launched in 2010, Upper Street is an online shoe business which allows women to design the shoes they want. The brand helps customers to create their own shoes from scratch, all from the comfort of their own home or by visiting the brand’s design studio.

Challenge

Four years after its launch, Upper Street planned to upgrade its e-commerce website and launch its first retail store in 2014. In addition, the brand faced strong competition from other online customisation and ready-to-wear shoe brands as the footwear industry grew. Michaela Christine Wolf was tasked with conducting market and customer analysis to develop an e-commerce strategy which would help strengthen the brand’s positioning in the UK footwear market.

Solution

To gain a full understanding of how Upper Street customers shop and why they choose the brand, in-depth interviews were conducted with existing customers using the jobs-to-be-done approach. The interview responses highlighted the vital role that Upper Street plays in helping women to design their dream shoes. From the moment they design and receive their first Upper Street creation customers form an emotional bond with their shoes and the brand. These emotional benefits were the basis for the holistic marketing and e-commerce strategy.  We created a strategy which placed co-creation at the centre of the brand; the customers are the designers and Upper Street are the craftsmen. This influenced how the brand communicated its values at every touch-point along the customers purchasing journey.