Customer Experience of the Year ( Medium to Large ): Rebel
Over the past year , Rebel has undergone a major transformation and fundamentally changed its brand , its products , in-store experience and how it speaks with its customers . The crown jewel in this renewed platform is the RCX store concept , which was launched in Doncaster , Melbourne , at the very peak of the pandemic , and then rolled out to Parramatta in western Sydney several months later .
While many may argue that 2020 was the year of e-commerce , the Rebel team swam against the tide and partnered with Nike to create a highly immersive , experiential store for customers , featuring elements such as :
Immersive and customisable fitting rooms : Large rooms allowing customers to change the lighting for different environments , from the gym and studio to the outdoors ;
Click-and-collect service at storefront : Express lines and dedicated spaces for prompt and efficient experiences ;
Basketball court : Here , customers can try on basketball apparel , shoes and accessories in a real setting ;
Football field : Featuring an Australianfirst digital multi-ball experience across a 4m wide wall , with games designed exclusively for Rebel stores .
Innovation room : Where Rebel ’ s partner brands bring to life interactive transitional experiences from month to month , such as the cusomisable Lebron James t-shirt activation at launch ;
Energy zone : Where key campaigns come to life with over-the-top merchandising and storytelling to engage customers in a more immersive way ;
Customisation counter : Where consumers can put their own spin on apparel , accessories and footwear ;
Fitness studio : Where customers can trial Rebel ’ s health and fitness equipment , from connected bikes to treadmills .
When the RCX store was first unveiled in Doncaster , the results were positive , despite the challenging environment .
“ As much as traffic was significantly down , our conversion rates were significantly up over any other metrics we ’ ve ever experienced . They ’ ve converted at extremely high ratios , they ’ re company records for us because we ’ ve never seen conversion rates that high ,” Rebel managing director Gary Williams told Inside Retail last year .
Rebel has also experienced more than 60 per cent growth in sales and its Net Promoter Score has increased by more than 20 points . Meanwhile , the kids category has almost doubled in sales growth and new brands are now available at the store , with “ phenomenal sell through ”, such as Adidas Originals , selected Nike sportswear , Jaggad and exclusive styles across all categories .
We believe that we have developed the world ’ s best sporting retail store .
“ We believe that we have developed a world ’ s best sporting retail store . There is no other sports retailer in the world that has brought together the best of experience and product and service in the way that our Parramatta store has ,” said Lisa Doban , business manager at Rebel .
“ It is a true representation of global learning and experience that has brought the very best of what ’ s possible into one incredible experience .”
What the judges said : “ A broad CX reset which has already delivered strong sales and NPS growth . Well done !” Jerry Macey , executive manager , consumer and diversified industries , Commonwealth Bank
40 | www . insideretail . com . au May 2021