STRATEGIC DESIGN
Rebooting the Past: Roger's Shoes Repairs in the Age of Digital Transformation
Timeline
March 2024 - May 2024
My Role
Design Lead
Background Research
Stakeholder Identification
Competitor Analysis
Conceptual Design
Team
Kesnavi Parammanandhan
Dayal Paul Sebastian
Divya Ravi
Introduction
Roger’s Shoe Repairs, nestled in Redfern, has been operating for over 60 years. It is known as one of the oldest businesses in Sydney. Over the decades, Roger has witnessed many changes on that particular street, including a paper shop next to his. As industries evolved, the shops around him changed too, but his business stood strong.
However, with the upcoming digital revolution and current fast fashion trends, does this small business stand a chance in the future?
Goal
Implement digital strategies to protect Roger Shoe Repairs' legacy and ensure it flourishes during the digital revolution.
The Digital Revolution and Roger Shoe Repairs
Lack of Digital Transformation
We're starting with a clean slate. Since the launch of Roger Shoe Repairs, there has been little to no digital strategies implemented. Roger has mentioned that his sole stitcher is around 80 years old (The Old Shops of Sydney, 2014).
Defining the Problem
How might we implement digital strategies to preserve the legacy of Roger Shoe Repairs and ensure it thrives in the digital age?
Design Process
INTERVIEW WITH ROGER
Customer Engagement
During the interview, we understood why Roger is a local personality in Redfern; he provided excellent service and engaging conversation within the store.
As we handed our shoes to be fixed, we received a yellow stub from Roger, and as shown on the stub, it mentioned that there is “no responsibility for goods left after 30 days.”
A small stub like this can be easily lost, and customers can forget to pick up their shoes, resulting in a loss for the business as well. Hence, we identified that even though there is good engagement within the store, there is a lack of engagement or service outside the store.
Hence, we identified that even though there is good engagement within the store, there is a lack of engagement or service outside the store.
ONLINE ETHNOGRAPHY
Google Reviews
The business holds a strong 4.8 rating with 246 reviews (Roger Shoe Repairs, 2024). From analysing the reviews, Roger Shoe Repairs' unique propositions can be easily identified: excellent service and fair pricing practices. The reviews also highlight that Roger Shoe Repairs relies heavily on word of mouth as its primary marketing tool. Customers frequently mention being referred to the business by friends, and many have also referred their friends themselves.
STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION
The Theatre of Roger's Service
Roger's Shoe Repairs is essentially a service, and a service can act as a theatre, whereby the audience are customers. By using this metaphor, we are able to identify the system as a whole and to implement strategies based on the stakeholders and their role in the service. Additionally, there is an opportunity to identify touchpoints, where the audience ‘touches’ the organisation (Zomerdijk & Voss, 2010).
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
The Speculative Future of Sydney in 2050
To understand the shoe repair market in Sydney and the competitive positioning of businesses, three competitors (Baxter & Black, Sole Heeled, and Cobbler Caballero) were analysed. In the competitive positioning map, it is apparent that Roger Shoe Repairs is lagging behind competitors, with a lack of an online presence and limited delivery channels.
The Challenges
Lack of Digital Presence
In an age where online platforms play a crucial role in marketing and consumer engagement, Roger Shoe Repair's minimal digital footprint, lacking a dedicated website and active social media presence, hinders its ability to connect with a new wave of customers.
Competitive Disadvantage
Despite its established legacy and loyal customer base, the shop finds itself at a distinct disadvantage compared to more digitally present competitors and larger retail chains. The lack of visibility and brand presence could hinder Roger's ability to effectively attract and retain customers.
Lack of Distribution Channels
Roger's Shoe Repair lacks distribution channels, failing to offer convenient shoe pickup and delivery services. This deficiency falls short of modern customer expectations, which prioritize seamless transactions and accessibility.
Lack of Customer Engagement
While traditional face-to-face interactions remain pivotal to Roger's service, the absence of modern communication channels and active engagement measures limits the shop's ability to cultivate relationships with its customers.
Digital Strategies
Roger's shop, being small in scale, necessitates a strategic approach divided into levels, with each level setting the stage for the following one.
LEVEL 1
Keeping Up with the Competition
The short-term plan focused on building upon the existing foundation of Roger's shop to gain common footing with competitors. Implementation of a user-friendly website and initiating shoe pickup and delivery services, along with customer relationship management adoption, are key components.
LEVEL 2
Introducing Roger Shoe Studio
Level 2 focuses on rebranding the shop by leveraging the expanded customer base and technologies from Level 1. The medium-term plan emphasizes custom design, rebranding, growing a social media presence, and creating video content to elevate Roger's shop to an artisanal studio.
LEVEL 3
The Next Level
Level 3 aims to shift the perception of cobblers and transform Roger's shop into an experiential destination through pop-up repair centres, partnerships, educational initiatives, and community workshops.
Impact
These recommended multi-level strategies will enable Roger Shoe Repairs to transform and adapt to the upcoming digital revolution. From improved accessibility and competitiveness to enhanced brand identity and community engagement, each level of the plan will strategically position Roger's as a premier destination for shoe repair and artisanal craftsmanship in Redfern and Sydney as a whole.
Reflection
As a product designer focusing on interaction and user experience, I found it refreshing to ideate strategies at a macro level to adapt to the upcoming digital revolution.
In collaboration with my team, I took the lead in conducting background research to understand the needs and challenges faced by Roger Shoe Repairs. Through an interview with Roger, his insights into the business played a fundamental role in designing the strategies, especially in protecting his legacy. By understanding the digital presence of Roger Shoe Repairs and its competitors, we were able to identify the business's position on the competitive map. Through this process, we concentrated on strategies that would allow us to safeguard Roger's legacy while enabling the small business to adapt to the digital revolution. Even though the brief mentioned digital strategies, we believe that by integrating both digital and non-digital strategies, such as community workshops, will allow the business to stand out in the digital noise.
As we enter the new age of AI, the threat to our jobs as product designers heightens with every update in AI technology. By focusing on the strategies that can be implemented for Roger, I reflect on the strategies I need to implement as a designer to thrive in this current market. I aspire to seamlessly merge Interaction Design principles with strategic foresight, delivering user-centric solutions that empower businesses to navigate strategic challenges.
References
Roger Shoe Repairs. (2024). Google Reviews [Review of the business]. Retrieved from https://maps.app.goo.gl/NNRzV4RSXN6eRA7A9
The old shops of Sydney. (2014). In The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2014/OldShops/roger-shoe-repairs.html
Woolliscroft, T. (2020, September 28). Applying Theatre Within Service Design [Image]. Ideasmiths. https://medium.com/ideasmiths-blog/applying-theatre-within-service-design-d3aed1a8bbbe
Zomerdijk, L. G., & Voss, C. A. (2010). Service Design for Experience-Centric Services. Journal of Service Research : JSR, 13(1), 67–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670509351960
