Case Study

New Balance approached Orium with a request to take their digital ecosystem to the next level. They understood the importance of a winning customer experience early on, and with a community of niche consumers primed to become fierce brand advocates if engaged in meaningful ways, they were keen to build out omnichannel opportunities for connecting with their customers.

As one of the world’s leading brands for running apparel, a natural starting point for new channel experiences was a wearable device that could offer an unencumbered fitness experience. Orium built the software for RunIQ, the first step in delivering a unique, best-in-class experience. RunIQ was designed for New Balance’s custom-built run watch, providing them with an opportunity to connect with customers through their passion for running and then build on that connection through smart integrations with other New Balance brand offerings.

The heart of the RunIQ app was a coaching element that would inspire and engage users as well as tie-in to their loyalty program, encouraging repeat engagement with all New Balance offers. By connecting the user’s running profile to their shopping profile, contextually relevant data could make the experience more personal and would allow for custom offers driven by how the runner engaged with the app. With a robust omnichannel approach, New Balance had nearly endless new opportunities to engage New Balance customers in meaningful ways.

New Balance’s omnichannel approach helped bridge the gap between in-store and online interactions, too. Orium created a custom-built shoe configurator that was available in-store and online. Deployed in flagship New Balance locations, the in-store kiosk allowed customers to personalize a pair of signature NB1 sneakers, right on the spot, with the added advantage of access to fabric swatches and expert advice as they customized their shoes. The custom shoes could then be saved to the user’s profile or emailed to them for further tinkering, or bought in store right then.

Rapid experimentation with the configurator allowed New Balance to deploy trials of the program with low risk and iterate rapidly as they gathered real customer data and feedback. In initial deployments the in-store configurator was on 42” display monitors, but following an early round of guerrilla testing the decision was made to switch to tablets for increased customer ease.

New Balance geared their omnichannel offers to allow their customers to get more out of the company. From blog posts related to the shoes a customer searched for to personalized search redirects based on customer profile information gathered from their proprietary wearable device, in-store touchpoints, and web and mobile interactions, New Balance cultivated a true omnichannel approach to CX.