Challenge
We gave an e-commerce app with a huge user base a head-to-toe makeover. THE BUSINESS of selling sneakers on mobile is complex: picture 100,000 Nike or adidas fans logging on at once for a chance to buy a limited-edition release, amid bombardment from bots, and an inventory distributed among 1,190 stores. Hibbett | City Gear tasked Heady with managing this process — among the most critical of its business. We immersed ourselves in sneaker culture; optimized the app’s existing raffle system; built a personalized product recommendation engine inspired by Spotify music charts; and continue to prepare the brand for growth as its user-base scales.
Solution
We debuted innovative new features tailored to sneakerheads. Heady’s work connected HCG shoppers with the products they really want. We rely on active user research to personalize the mobile experience. Our “Trending Chart” surfaces a list of popular products, customized to each user. Its look and feel employs cross-industry inspiration, taking a cue from Spotify and aligning with sneakerheads’ interest in music. Salesforce introduced Einstein AI in 2017. Our HCG product recommendation system was the first beta use case of Einstein AI for mobile. Salesforce highlighted the success of our integration at its Dreamforce conference, calling it a top 2019 mobile innovation. With bots competing against individuals for limited supplies of Yeezys or Jordans, a huge shopper concern is raffle fairness. Heady worked with HCG to build long term trust with sneakerheads by developing complex algorithms that screen bots and encourage single-user participation. We overhauled performance and speed. Heady’s first step was optimizing HCG’s app for functionality: our improvements decreased load time by 500% and customer service requests by 6x. Heady increased HCG’s raffle sell-through rates by two-fold, through better security, text-message verifications, targeted messaging, and overall stabilization of the infrastructure. We also decreased the error rate by 80 percent. All this made it easier for a person who really wanted a limited-edition shoe to get to it. Heady also brought down costs for HCG. Traffic on Hibbett’s app can shoot from 1 to 30,000 users within minutes when the retailer hosts a raffle for an in-demand shoe. Apps that handle large spikes of traffic often require pricey maintenance, but with a scalable infrastructure and componentized services, Heady eliminated dependencies and inefficiencies at every interaction. We adapt to the needs of a growing user base. Shoppers now have more choice in how they interact with Hibbett | City Gear on mobile. They can receive products however they choose: buying online, or reserving items to be picked up at the store nearest to them, a process called BOPIS / ROPIS. Heady’s updates also launched omni-channel communication, which means users can choose to interact with HCG through email, text, or push notifications. We also increased accessibility, transforming 150 screens from 0% accessible to 65%, as per the 2019 guidelines, and growing. Meanwhile, all 1190 Hibbett stores now participate in raffles, a critical sales channel. All the while, we keep user’s data protected. In the face of improving bot technology, we regularly defend the app against attacks of up to 1 million requests per 5 minute period.
Results
App Store rating increased from 3.3 stars to 4.6 stars. It’s now ranked a Top 100 e-commerce app.
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