AW LAB, a sneaker retailer operating in Italy and Spain, was at a crossroads. The technical foundation had been laid, the webshop redesigned and the app successfully launched. But how do you make the step from building to continuous optimization of your online product? From project-based work to continuous improvement? Together with Online Dialogue, AW LAB chose to work from customer insights and validation. Read how AW LAB moved toward a validation-driven culture in which data and experimentation are leading.

‘You then shift from a technology and project management driven phase to an optimization phase,’ says Benjamin Groenewoud, responsible for digital product management at AW LAB. ‘In that, it's about understanding customer problems, prioritizing improvements and validating based on data.’

Sneaker retailer for a young target audience

AW LAB is part of the Bata Group and operates in Italy and Spain. The retailer sells sneakers and apparel from top brands such as Nike, Adidas and Asics. Its target market? ‘Gen Z teenagers and their mothers’, says Benjamin laughing. ‘But it's slightly more female than male - about 60/40.’ 

With hundreds of stores as well as a strong focus on mobile, AW LAB is growing rapidly in the digital realm.

From delivery to discovery

In recent years, the focus has been on establishing a solid foundation: a new platform, a redesign and the development of a mobile app. ‘But those are projects with a clear head and tail,’ Benjamin explains. ‘Now we want to improve structurally. Move from delivery to discovery. From assumptions to substantiated hypotheses.’

AW LAB was looking for a partner to secure this way of working in the organization. ‘We have limited experience and capacity in analyzing customer behavior. So we wanted to learn from a party that doesn't do this for us, but with us.’

The approach: hypotheses, behavior and validation

The collaboration started with research: data analysis, surveys and interviews with the AW LAB team Concrete opportunities were then formulated and prioritized in a Opportunity Solution Tree.

Online Dialogue started with ‘demonstrating,’ shifted to ‘doing it together,’ and AW LAB is now working toward ‘doing it yourself. Validation thus becomes a structural part of the daily work.

First results: many winners and much learned

More than 15 experiments have already been set up in the first few months, with an exceptionally high number of winners. ‘We noticed we still had a lot of quick wins lying around,’ Benjamin says. ‘But the good thing is: it gives confidence. Small adjustments can indeed make a big impact.’

Those successes create support. ‘The realization is growing that you don't always need big projects to get results. And that learning from what doesn't work is at least as valuable as a successful test.’

A shift in culture

According to Benjamin, what makes the collaboration truly valuable? ‘Online Dialogue helps us make the shift from project management to continuous optimization. That's in skills, tools and processes, but especially in the mindset and approach of the team.’

The dot on the horizon is clear: a organization-wide validation culture. ‘First in e-commerce, but eventually in other parts of our customer journey. We want a culture where we say: this works, because we've proven it. And if it doesn't work, we learn from it.’

Lessons from the project with AW LAB

• Start with data, not solutions.
• Work from hypotheses, not opinions.
• Start small, but build on: quick wins help create support.
• Actively involve the team and let them learn by doing.

Looking to the future

With the collaboration, AW LAB not only achieved initial optimizations, but also laid the foundation for a broader, data-driven way of working. ‘We are now building a team that can do this independently. But we are taking those first steps together. And that makes all the difference.’

Want to know more about this project or how to structurally embed CRO in your organization? Contact Pim Molenaar for a no-obligation introduction.