gravitytank
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Why differentiate with commodity merchandise?
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OfficeMax’s private labels were doing their job.
They filled incomplete product portfolios with discount, undifferentiated gap-fillers that were maintaining a small, but otherwise unremarkable position within a low margin, commodity market.
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But there were opportunities that other retailers were ignoring.
If OfficeMax created a highly visible and sought-after private label, it could be a differentiator and instigate growth. Diving deep into their business, core users and sales data, gravitytank developed a suite of products supported by a business model geared toward lasting value for customers and long-term recognition for OfficeMax.
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The result was a triple digit rate of return on the initial investment and sales that significantly exceeded initial forecasts.
Using rapid design and prototyping coupled with a robust strategy for market entry, we developed an award-winning line of office products. Along the way, we built the conviction that investing a small amount in high quality materials and packaging up-front would translate into real growth in the otherwise flat private label business.
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Research + strategy + design = growth
Our immersive research with core audiences also uncovered systemic design opportunities for new store layouts, female customer targeting and a wider portfolio of private label brands now in development to help OfficeMax stand apart from...who are those other guys again?
What Our Clients Say About Us.
I think the cross-functional teams and their ability to synthesize and make things actionable is on a whole different level. With other firms you get a report, but then you're left to interpret and move forward. I appreciated GT's actionable frameworks and insights and combination of business knowledge and research with a strategy point of view
From the very beginning everyone who met GT'ers felt like they paid attention and understood what was going on in a way that very few can. It was really exciting for us that some good actually came of this because of GT's ability to pick up on less tangible things that are hard for us.
GT takes time to learn about us as an organization, who were are as individuals and what our day jobs are like. And that goes a long way because your understand us. That is huge to me.
GT is much more flexible and much more responsive to client needs and wants.
It was a unique process that we hadn’t really done before in terms of prototyping product along with concepting. It was a thorough process. The folks at gravitytank were very engaged and brought new thinking to the table.
We worked together instead of you guys going off and working on a project. The team struck to the timeline and they were flexible with all our requests or changes. The team was able to articulate visually and verbally what we were talking about.
We had a great experience. The customer support and relations was great and very responsive. The team was great to work with and we got good results that have been well received through the organization.
Every time I meet someone new I am impressed with their skills and capabilities. GT can assemble a team with a wide range of skills and capabilities that mesh well.
It's the thinking. It's not just about the idea, it's about how the idea fits into the business plan. You guys do a very good job of that.
The other thing that stood out is the political sensitivity that the team has and understands. They were very competent at the psychology that is necessary in large organization like ours.
The best part was the quality of the thinking which is always true of the projects I've done at GT. The business strategy sets you apart. Identifying consumer insights is critical, but the strategic analysis and synthesis is what pulls it all together.
I love how GT works in the bay and puts things up on boards. Being part of that was really enlightening and I learned so much about the project and how to work.
The staff seemed really competent and smart. A lot of the technical and administrative stuff was well managed and didn't create extra work for us. The thinking was inventive and seasoned. There was a good balance of experience and innovation.
It was refreshing to work with people who want to understand the work you do and pay attention to the quality as if it was their own.
I think gravitytank has a great level of diverse talent, and they all seem to have a positive attitude. That makes working with the teams great.
Generally we use a vendor for research and then a creative firm for design. I think using GT for all worked out well. The incorporation of design and having a dedicated team was different. I felt like the GT team was thinking about this project 24/7 versus other agencies who often seemed fragmented.
We were attracted to the process and after going through it, I buy in. The depth and breadth of the snippets was great, the workshop, etc. was all great. The prototypes and positions at the end demonstrate that the process worked well.
Great listeners. They had strong opinions, but they were skilled at voicing them at the right time. That's a big part of business.
I've been studying the design thinking process since business school. GT brought in quant, business analysis and design thinking. You simplified the insights and carried them all the way into the business model. Often when I've been a part of innovation projects we do a lot of work on brand strategies and we just draw. We never get to prototyping and thinking about what customers need and how to get ideas through a distribution system. That's what I appreciated most about your work - speaking the business and design languages.
GT is a little more connected to the business side and not just designing cool things. They tell the total story. A lot of firms have great designers but the linkage to the business side lacks.
The workshop was really powerful. Everyone that came was blown away. We do a lot of work with other firms and I don’t think I've ever experienced such a smart and well run workshop.
It was interesting to see the different components and tools that were brought in to help us. From the labs to guapo and dScout, quant and qual and how that fed into conclusions.
GT has a great understanding and respect for the business. A lot of firms forget about the business side.