Playing hard to get
Nike has a problem most retailers would love to deal with: too many people want to buy their product. Last week at One & All, a one-day creativity fest organized by DynamicMTL, Nike’s Product designer Sebastian Speier took to the stage. He discussed adding friction, some difficulty for the user, in the design of their SNKRS app as an answer.
Generally, those who design a shopping experience want to make the path to purchase as simple as possible for the user. But in Nike’s case, the goal is somewhat different: they‘re working with a limited supply, a thriving culture of loyal fans, and resellers looking for huge profits.
In the past, their solution was a lottery system to choose who could buy. But, to those who were really invested in the product, the system felt unfair: casual buyers and aftermarket buyers had the same shot at being picked as they did. As Speier said, it was similar to randomly picking people out of a line. It ignored the dedication of those who cared enough to camp out all night.
That’s where friction comes in. In Nike’s case, it appears in the form of challenges, where those who prevail get the sneakers. You’ve got to prove you want that shoe and, in the end, you leave with a feeling of pride, a story to share…and the shoe! You’re a real fan, you figured it out, you got the goods. Not only does this make things feel a little more fair, but more interesting to talk about.
Plus the challenges are kinda awesome:
SNKR Cam
Make use of the phone itself. It’s more than just a way to access the store on your mobile device, it takes advantage of the tech in a fun way. The augmented reality revealing the shoe in the restaurant menu or when scanning a poster, for example, is something to take inspiration from.
SNKRS Stash
Use the app to get your shoes somewhere unexpected. When a sneaker drops, you’ll learn where the nearest pop-up shops are. Check in at the location and you’ve got it on a first-come first serve basis.
Hidden Access
Find secret ways to buy within Nike’s content. Speier gave the example of Penny Hardaway and the Nike Air Foamposite One. The original shoe had too much blue for regulations and, after a fine, Hardaway coloured his stripes black with a Sharpie. Savvy fans discovered the app let them colour the shoes within story to gain access to their own pair.
I came away with a few questions to consider. I’d love to hear if you have any thoughts:
- Is there a place in my work that might benefit from some type of friction?
- Could these strategies work for items that aren’t so popular?
- Can a quest make the prize a treasure?
- How can we play with the tech available to make mobile shopping a more interesting experience?
Curious what else is going on in there? Check out the app and see what you think. If you want more of Speier’s talk, you can check it out (around 2:10 in the second half), along with the rest of One & All right here:
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