As head of the project, having successfully hired and trained a team we set about further analysing the proposition as a whole, identifying customer pain-points within the service and framing the problem. The lean and focused project team which consisted of the following incredible individuals:

By looking into the overarching strategy of the Wickes Kitchen proposition, it became clear there are many tangible factors that could be easily enhanced to add value. The team would create a sub-model of the business canvas to generate a wider understanding of the design, relevance, performance and price of the Kitchens proposition as a whole. This would allow us to understand the business touchpoints Wickes have and determine which elements we would be able to amend as part of a phased approach to the project.

To ensure that Wickes Kitchen business is competitive, the team researched customer types alongside the competitors propositions. It is key we understood the customer to determine weather they we’re being catered for, set out in the initial brief.

Firstly, the team needed to work out who the targeted prospects were identifying the key jobs, pains and gains for key customer profiles. Our team set about aggregating data from all channels to give us our quantitative lens, we would then initiate a direct comparison with the existing customer insight data which formed more of a qualitative approach

In a store context, customer details are typically taken at the point of purchase; notably product SKU (code) and payment type. These combined metrics can be cross referenced with publicly available data which is amalgamated by a 3rd party supplier. Wickes refer to this service as a single customer view (SCV). In addition, we were able to study Google Analytics (GA) data alongside Hitwise, current market trends and pre-existing customer insights

From initial research, the team discovered that the market for buying a new Kitchen covers a diverse range of customers. Using segmentation from SCV, customers were recruited nationally to participate in qualitative panel discussions.

Market findings revealed the average age of a home improver who had purchased a Kitchen in the last 12 months had an average age of 43. With regards to the customer base within that same period, the average age totalled 58 years old. 62% of prospects made the purchase decision as a couple, where as 32% were sole decision makers. Females participants were more likely to be the final decision maker regarding brand, design or finish. More than 60% of participants interviewed would employ professional help for at least some aspect of the overall project, strengthening the business need for highlighting the installation service Wickes offer.

When researching Wickes current market position, customer brand awareness reached 90% of participants interviewed. With established specialist retailers such as Magnet reaching 80% of all prospects interviewed.

This qualitative research approach revealed potential customers investigate a number of brands; B&Q being market leaders with a consideration rating of 85%, closely followed by Wickes, Homebase and Ikea. By the time prospects are ready to purchase, their options generally narrow to focus on 2 individual suppliers. Within the initial exploration and research phase of the purchase journey over 70% of prospects narrowed their decision making through the use of online channels; it became clear Wickes needed to ensure this stage was prioritised within the conversion funnel. Wickes high brand awareness meant that the brand was likely to be investigated by customers, although this is also true of 4 other mainstream suppliers. Wickes currently has a competitive market position although evidence that their dominant position is in decline became apparent.

Quality, value and breadth of range are the key influencing factors when purchasing a Kitchen. Secondary drivers of choice covered reliability, expertise, inspiration and finance within the online offering. Even though the online channel is key within the purchase journey, the real world store showroom featured heavily in the research conducted. “I need to see it to fall in love with it, it’s a tactile thing” was feedback amongst participants. It is key that customers need to be directed to their local showroom.

From a service analysis standpoint, B&Qs core strengths lie in strong perceptions for price and range, however quality perceptions are aligned with convenience and being the market leader. Wickes offer an inspiration-to-installation solution, although when touchline-mapping the competition it became clear this is the core USP of the proposition which the team needed to cater for.

Following research and competitive analysis the team set about running a series of co-design workshops with core business stakeholders. This allowed for further gather gap analysis between research and internal opinions on who the customer is; involving stakeholders always proves to be a great success, increasing team synergy.

Following the proposition analysis and co-design sessions the team set about using all aggregated data to produce a series of sketches. The process was defined by creating components which would be used within the future responsive site framework. Once finalised, the first draft of components were then photocopied and turned into paper prototypes for layout mapping subject to serious scrutiny from peer review..