Check out our FREE Resources page – Download complimentary business frameworks, PowerPoint templates, whitepapers, and more.







Flevy Management Insights Case Study
Digital Transformation Strategy for Nonstore Retailers in Home Fitness


Fortune 500 companies typically bring on global consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture, or boutique consulting firms specializing in Customer Experience to thoroughly analyze their unique business challenges and competitive situations. These firms provide strategic recommendations based on consulting frameworks, subject matter expertise, benchmark data, KPIs, best practices, and other tools developed from past client work. We followed this management consulting approach for this case study.

Reading time: 9 minutes

Consider this scenario: A rapidly growing nonstore retailer, specializing in home fitness equipment, is facing challenges in differentiating customer experience in a saturated online market.

With a 20% increase in competition over the last two years and a customer churn rate of 15% due to inadequate post-purchase support, the organization is struggling to maintain its market position. The primary strategic objective of the organization is to enhance the digital customer journey, leveraging technology to improve customer experience, retention, and ultimately, market share.



The nonstore retail industry, particularly in the home fitness sector, has witnessed exponential growth, driven by changing consumer behaviors and technological advancements. However, this growth has brought about intensified competition and evolving customer expectations, challenging companies to innovate continuously.

Industry Analysis

  • Internal Rivalry: High, due to the influx of new market entrants capitalizing on the surge in demand for home fitness solutions.
  • Supplier Power: Moderate, with several manufacturers offering similar equipment and components, allowing retailers some negotiation leverage.
  • Buyer Power: High, as consumers have a wide array of choices and access to extensive product information online.
  • Threat of New Entrants: High, given the low barriers to entry for online retailing and the expanding market for home fitness.
  • Threat of Substitutes: Moderate to high, with alternatives such as outdoor activities and gym memberships posing a constant threat.

Emergent trends include the integration of smart technology into fitness equipment and a shift towards personalized, data-driven workout experiences. These trends present opportunities for differentiation but also pose risks related to technological obsolescence and increased investment in research and development.

  • Adoption of AI and IoT in fitness equipment: Offers the opportunity for product differentiation and enhanced customer experience but requires significant investment in technology.
  • Increased demand for personalized fitness solutions: Presents an opportunity for data-driven product offerings but raises privacy and data security concerns.
  • Growth in online fitness communities: Provides an opportunity to build brand loyalty and customer engagement but demands constant innovation in digital marketing strategies.

A STEER analysis indicates that technological and ecological factors, such as the advancement of digital fitness solutions and growing environmental awareness, significantly influence industry dynamics, presenting both opportunities for innovation and challenges in sustainability practices.

For a deeper analysis, take a look at these Industry Analysis best practices:

Market Entry Strategy Toolkit (109-slide PowerPoint deck)
Consolidation-Endgame Curve Framework (29-slide PowerPoint deck)
Porter's Five Forces (26-slide PowerPoint deck)
Strategic Analysis Model (Excel workbook)
Industry Analysis (63-slide PowerPoint deck)
View additional Customer Experience best practices

Are you familiar with Flevy? We are you shortcut to immediate value.
Flevy provides business best practices—the same as those produced by top-tier consulting firms and used by Fortune 100 companies. Our best practice business frameworks, financial models, and templates are of the same caliber as those produced by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, and Accenture. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with 20+ years of experience.

Trusted by over 10,000+ Client Organizations
Since 2012, we have provided best practices to over 10,000 businesses and organizations of all sizes, from startups and small businesses to the Fortune 100, in over 130 countries.
AT&T GE Cisco Intel IBM Coke Dell Toyota HP Nike Samsung Microsoft Astrazeneca JP Morgan KPMG Walgreens Walmart 3M Kaiser Oracle SAP Google E&Y Volvo Bosch Merck Fedex Shell Amgen Eli Lilly Roche AIG Abbott Amazon PwC T-Mobile Broadcom Bayer Pearson Titleist ConEd Pfizer NTT Data Schwab

Internal Assessment

The organization is recognized for its broad range of high-quality home fitness products but faces challenges in digital engagement and post-purchase support that affect customer retention.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths include a comprehensive portfolio of home fitness products and a strong supply chain network. Opportunities lie in leveraging digital technology to enhance the customer experience and expanding into emerging markets. Weaknesses are observed in digital customer engagement and support services. Threats include intensifying competition and rapid technological changes.

Core Competencies Analysis

Core competencies lie in product variety and quality. However, there's a need to develop competencies in digital customer engagement and data analytics to stay competitive. Enhancing these areas will enable the organization to capitalize on growing market trends and meet evolving customer expectations.

Value Chain Analysis

The analysis reveals inefficiencies in outbound logistics and after-sales support. Improving these areas through digital transformation initiatives can significantly enhance the customer experience and operational efficiency, leading to increased customer loyalty and revenue growth.

Strategic Initiatives

  • Implement an Omnichannel Customer Experience Platform: To integrate online and mobile customer touchpoints, providing a seamless and personalized shopping experience. This initiative aims to improve customer engagement and satisfaction. The source of value creation lies in enhanced customer loyalty and increased sales through personalized marketing. Resources required include technology investment in CRM and analytics platforms.
  • Launch a Smart Fitness Product Line: Introduce a range of connected home fitness equipment that offers personalized workout experiences through AI. The intended impact is product differentiation and market leadership in smart fitness solutions. The source of value creation comes from leveraging technology to meet the rising demand for personalized fitness, expected to drive revenue growth and brand recognition. Significant investment in R&D and technology partnerships is required.
  • Develop a Digital Customer Support Hub: To offer real-time support and engagement through AI chatbots and virtual assistants, aiming to enhance post-purchase customer support. The initiative is expected to reduce customer churn and increase satisfaction. The source of value creation lies in improved customer retention rates. This will require investment in AI technologies and training for support staff.

Customer Experience Implementation KPIs

KPIS are crucial throughout the implementation process. They provide quantifiable checkpoints to validate the alignment of operational activities with our strategic goals, ensuring that execution is not just activity-driven, but results-oriented. Further, these KPIs act as early indicators of progress or deviation, enabling agile decision-making and course correction if needed.


What gets measured gets managed.
     – Peter Drucker

  • Customer Satisfaction Score (CSS): To measure the effectiveness of the omnichannel platform and smart fitness products in enhancing customer satisfaction.
  • Net Promoter Score (NPS): An increase in NPS will reflect success in customer experience improvements and digital engagement strategies.
  • Customer Retention Rate: A key indicator of the success of the digital customer support hub in reducing churn and improving loyalty.

Tracking these KPIs will provide insights into the effectiveness of the strategic initiatives in improving the customer experience and operational efficiency, guiding further investment and strategy adjustments.

For more KPIs, take a look at the Flevy KPI Library, one of the most comprehensive databases of KPIs available. Having a centralized library of KPIs saves you significant time and effort in researching and developing metrics, allowing you to focus more on analysis, implementation of strategies, and other more value-added activities.

Learn more about Flevy KPI Library KPI Management Performance Management Balanced Scorecard

Customer Experience Best Practices

To improve the effectiveness of implementation, we can leverage best practice documents in Customer Experience. These resources below were developed by management consulting firms and Customer Experience subject matter experts.

Customer Experience Deliverables

These are a selection of deliverables across all the strategic initiatives.

  • Omnichannel Strategy Roadmap (PPT)
  • Smart Fitness Product Development Plan (PPT)
  • Customer Experience Enhancement Framework (PPT)
  • Digital Customer Support Implementation Plan (PPT)
  • Strategic Initiative Financial Impact Model (Excel)

Explore more Customer Experience deliverables

Implementing an Omnichannel Customer Experience Platform

The organization adopted the Customer Journey Mapping (CJM) and the Kano Model as frameworks to guide the implementation of the Omnichannel Customer Experience Platform. CJM was utilized to visualize the end-to-end experience of customers across all touchpoints. This framework proved invaluable for identifying pain points and opportunities for enhancing the customer experience. Similarly, the Kano Model helped prioritize features based on their ability to satisfy customer needs and exceed expectations.

Following these insights, the team undertook several steps to apply these frameworks effectively:

  • Developed comprehensive customer journey maps for different customer personas, identifying key touchpoints across online and offline channels.
  • Analyzed customer feedback and interaction data to categorize platform features into Kano Model categories: Must-be, One-dimensional, and Delighters.
  • Prioritized the integration of features that were identified as Delighters and One-dimensional to ensure a differentiated customer experience.

The implementation of these frameworks led to a significant enhancement of the Omnichannel Customer Experience Platform. Customer satisfaction scores improved by 30%, demonstrating the effectiveness of tailored features and touchpoints in meeting and exceeding customer expectations.

Launch of a Smart Fitness Product Line

For the launch of the Smart Fitness Product Line, the organization employed the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory and the Jobs To Be Done (JTBD) framework. DOI provided insights into how the new smart fitness products could be adopted among different segments of consumers, identifying key influencers and strategies to accelerate adoption. JTBD was instrumental in understanding the specific tasks customers were hiring the smart fitness products to accomplish, ensuring product development was tightly aligned with customer needs.

In applying these frameworks, the organization followed a structured approach:

  • Segmented the market based on DOI characteristics (Innovators, Early Adopters, etc.) and tailored marketing strategies accordingly.
  • Conducted in-depth customer interviews to uncover the 'jobs' customers needed the smart fitness products to fulfill, leading to several innovative features.
  • Developed targeted communication and product trial opportunities aimed at Innovators and Early Adopters to generate buzz and testimonials.

The strategic use of DOI and JTBD frameworks resulted in a successful launch, with the smart fitness product line achieving a 40% adoption rate among targeted segments within the first six months. This success underscored the importance of aligning product development and marketing strategies with deep customer insights and adoption dynamics.

Development of a Digital Customer Support Hub

To enhance post-purchase support, the organization adopted the Service Blueprinting and the Moment of Truth (MoT) frameworks. Service Blueprinting allowed for a detailed visualization of the customer support process, identifying areas for digital intervention and automation. The MoT framework was pivotal in pinpointing critical interactions where customer perceptions could be significantly impacted, guiding the design of the Digital Customer Support Hub.

The execution of these frameworks involved a series of deliberate actions:

  • Mapped out the entire customer support process using Service Blueprinting, highlighting digital touchpoints for AI chatbot and virtual assistant integration.
  • Identified key Moments of Truth that would heavily influence customer satisfaction and loyalty, focusing on automating responses to common inquiries while preserving opportunities for human interaction on complex issues.
  • Implemented AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants at identified digital touchpoints, trained with FAQs and product knowledge to ensure accurate and helpful responses.

By focusing on Service Blueprinting and Moment of Truth, the organization successfully launched the Digital Customer Support Hub, leading to a 25% reduction in customer support tickets and a 50% improvement in response times. These improvements significantly enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty, validating the strategic focus on critical service interactions and efficient process design.

Additional Resources Relevant to Customer Experience

Here are additional best practices relevant to Customer Experience from the Flevy Marketplace.

Did you know?
The average daily rate of a McKinsey consultant is $6,625 (not including expenses). The average price of a Flevy document is $65.

Key Findings and Results

Here is a summary of the key results of this case study:

  • Customer satisfaction scores increased by 30% following the implementation of the Omnichannel Customer Experience Platform.
  • The Smart Fitness Product Line achieved a 40% adoption rate among targeted segments within the first six months of launch.
  • Introduction of the Digital Customer Support Hub led to a 25% reduction in customer support tickets.
  • Response times for customer support improved by 50% with the deployment of AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants.

The strategic initiatives undertaken by the organization to enhance the digital customer journey have yielded significant positive outcomes, as evidenced by the key results. The 30% increase in customer satisfaction scores post-implementation of the Omnichannel Customer Experience Platform demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating customer journey mapping and the Kano Model to exceed customer expectations. Similarly, the Smart Fitness Product Line's 40% adoption rate signifies the successful alignment of product development with customer needs through the application of the Diffusion of Innovations theory and the Jobs To Be Done framework. However, while the reduction in customer support tickets and improved response times indicate progress in post-purchase support, the extent to which this translates into long-term customer retention and loyalty remains to be fully assessed. Additionally, the focus on digital enhancements may have overshadowed opportunities to leverage human interactions in creating deeper customer relationships, an area where competitors could potentially differentiate.

Given the achievements and insights gained, the organization should consider the following next steps: Further analyze the long-term impact of the Digital Customer Support Hub on customer loyalty and retention, ensuring that digital efficiencies do not come at the expense of personalization and human connection. Explore opportunities to integrate human elements into the digital customer journey, particularly in areas identified as Moments of Truth. Lastly, continue to monitor and adapt to emerging trends in the home fitness industry, ensuring that the organization remains at the forefront of innovation and customer experience excellence.

Source: Digital Transformation Strategy for Nonstore Retailers in Home Fitness, Flevy Management Insights, 2024

Flevy is the world's largest knowledge base of best practices.


Leverage the Experience of Experts.

Find documents of the same caliber as those used by top-tier consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, Accenture.

Download Immediately and Use.

Our PowerPoint presentations, Excel workbooks, and Word documents are completely customizable, including rebrandable.

Save Time, Effort, and Money.

Save yourself and your employees countless hours. Use that time to work on more value-added and fulfilling activities.




Read Customer Testimonials




Additional Flevy Management Insights

Download our FREE Strategy & Transformation Framework Templates

Download our free compilation of 50+ Strategy & Transformation slides and templates. Frameworks include McKinsey 7-S Strategy Model, Balanced Scorecard, Disruptive Innovation, BCG Experience Curve, and many more.