
Nike.net
Self-serve capabilities for order changes
June 2023 - August 2023
CONTEXT
Add self-serve capabilities to Nike.net to make order changes
The goal of this initiative is to determine what self-serve capabilities our clients would like to see available on Nike.net and determine which ones are feasible as well as assess if this is feasible to complete in-house or if purchasing a 3rd-party tool is a better solution. We want to make it easier and faster for Nike.net users to make order changes. This initiative aligns with Nike’s organizational mission of “bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
In this project, I’ll be evaluating Nike.net’s user base to determine common pain points for Nike.net users. From there, I defined an MVP solution that addresses those core pain points. Finally, I created a financial model and Product Intent Document (PID)* that defined success metrics and a rollout plan to test the MVP solution with a subset of the Nike.net user base.
*Some areas of this project will not be shared such as the financial model and PID due to a signed NDA.
HYPOTHESIS
If Nike adds adds self-serve capabilities to Nike.net, then Nike will establish trust with partners and facilitate smoother processes where they can be in control and expand their business.
THE AUDIENCE
Who uses Nike.net?
At a high level, there are two main users of Nike.net: partners and Nike merchants. This initiative is focused specifically on determining what self-serve capabilities can be added to Nike.net. This means we’ll focus on our partners user base.
The four main service differentiation models for our partners are:
Power Players (Footlocker, JD Sports, etc.)
Access Players (Mid-tier malls or strip centers with broad Nike product lines)
Authenticators Lifestyle (Trending boutiques and concept stores)
Authenticators Sport (Specialty running, soccer, basketball, other sports stores)
Top partner users of Nike.net are Authenticators Sport and Authenticators Lifestyle. The second priority user are Access Players.
Nike.net usage for “Order Changes”: 75% of users who use the “Order changes“ functionality are “Access Players”. 24% of users are “Authenticators” (19% sport and 5% lifestyle)
Use Cases of Nike.net
Allows partners to place orders
Allows partners to submit order changes
Check inventory and plan stock
Submit invoices
Identify defective product
Visually view assortment
Connect with the account team
Measure point of sale information
Administer access
USER INSIGHTS
What are the pain points that these users need addressed?
Hard time reaching account manager who is the only one who can make account led changes and it’s done via the phone.
Acct Mgrs change quantity/size/color
Acct Mgrs cancel orders (full or partial)
Acct Mgrs manually submit address changes/updates
It takes a long time to get a response from account managers and deadlines are often missed.
It can take weeks to hear back and there are cancel date deadlines that can’t be missed
As a result, partners are left with merchandise they don’t want or need
Customer survey scores go down
Not knowing how to change PO numbers, expedite shipping, or remove holds causes frustration, loses profit, and wastes time.
Duplicate orders are created as a result of not knowing how to change PO numbers
Partners aren’t notified when holds are lifted on items that can now be ordered
Unwanted inventory is sold at a discount reducing sales for Nike
USER JOURNEY
How does a partner make an order change?
In general, the order changes architecture of Nike.net is confusing. Since Nike has various partners who have different size businesses and thus have different needs (Power Player like Footlocker versus one single concept store in Ohio), flows are buried, and a lot of backend processes are hard-coded in the system, making it hard to make changes if not done manually.
MAJOR TAKEAWAYS
MAJOR TAKEAWAYS
From this research, we can conclude a couple of things:
Nike.net is imperative for our Partners to run their business smoothly.
It’s common for Partners to miss cutoff dates to make a change to their order due to the manual process.
Right now, core use cases like updating a shipping address or order purchase number are very difficult and time-consuming to complete .
TLDR: Nike.net can benefit from implementing self-serve capabilities to improve the partner experience and relationship which will improve customer satisfaction scores and as a result, increase revenue.
FEATURE PRIORITIZATION & MVP DEFINITION
What should be included in the MVP?
For a successful implementation to be run of self-serve capabilities, the following user stories are required to build.
What would the User Experience look like?
In an effort to be more clear, the new email sent out after an order is placed will specify why an order was changed, allow you to change shipping address and make shipping changes, and a general support chat box will pop up in the bottom right after 30 seconds of no activity.
Transparent, simple, and educational.
At each step, Partners will have clear information on order changes.
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Nike.net partners need to know why Nike may have swapped inventory for a particular style that they ordered for example.
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Nike.net Partners need to see information about where their order will be delivered, when it will arrive, and if they need to take any special steps to prepare for the order.
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Nike.net partners need clear timelines as well as updates for when order changes can be made. Having suggestions of available inventory is also key.
FINAL SOLUTION
Adding self-serve capabilities to Nike.net to make order changes view
Started from a sketch…
OLD EMAIL TEMPLATE
NEW EMAIL TEMPLATE
MEASURING SUCCESS
Number of self-serve capabilities → Improved customer satisfaction score
If we are solving our partner’s main pain points, we should see an decrease in the amount of tickets submitted to make order changes, an increase in customer satisfaction scores, and an increase in revenue due to less unwanted/returned inventory.
NORTH STAR METRIC
FINAL THOUGHTS
FINAL THOUGHTS
SUMMARY
To recap, I’d recommend adding self-serve capabilities to Nike.net with the goal of decreasing the amount of time it takes for Partners to make order changes after an order is placed.
This MVP aims to solve core pain points that users in our target user segment face, which was determined by a survey I created to send to Partners that cannot be shared here.
If the MVP is successful with Authenticators Sport and Authenticators Lifestyle, I’d recommend expanding to the other service models as well.
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