Create a memorable experience by establishing meaningful connections
Top 6 in-store practices transforming customer experience, Part 5 of 6
Building a community
When you interact and develop connections between your customers and employees, you can build a community of those who align with your brand identity.
Why build a community?
Building a community allows you to continue establishing connections and maintain relevance with your customers. An example of a brand that escaped irrelevance was Harley Davidson. Twenty-five years after it risked falling into worthlessness, the company boasted a brand value of $7.8 million, successfully leveraging its unique strategic repositioning. It accomplished this by building the Harley Davidson community, whose lifestyle, activities and character aligned with the brand. This community-centric focus was central to the company’s turnaround.
Vans
Vans, a skateboarding shoe manufacturer, also thrived from building the community they helped set up for its customers. First, it identified a majority of its customer base as teenagers and young adults. It then worked to understand its market and build a community that embodies its brand.
We have provided 5 examples of how Vans overcame its challenges to capture its young audience, making the brand integral to their skateboarding experience:
- Inviting lead users to co-design products.
To ensure relevancy and attractiveness, Vans developed a meaningful relationship between consumers and the brand.
- Opening its own skatepark
Building a physical space around its retail store brought together customers, associating the brand with the sport.
- Setting up parental daycare lounges
Encouraging parents (primary customers) to have a better in-store experience allowed their kids to spend extra time in the store.
- Establishing a partnership with the Warped Music Tour
The brand stands out more in the crowd by connecting young adults with music, a secondary interest.
- Organizing the Vans Park Series Championship
Vans found gaps within the market and provided solutions that further associated their brand with the sport.
How to start building a community?
To build your community, brands should use this checklist of strategies:
- Have a clear ethos and identity
- Make the retail store a central location to gather the community
- Engage in social media interaction through user-generated content
- Encourage employees to participate and embody the brand lifestyle
- Hold relevant activities and events supported by the brand
Check out Part 6 of this series on how to personalise your products or services for your customers.