Online Customer Service Initiative : The Athlete ’ s Foot
The Athlete ’ s Foot has been all about fit for the past 40 years , so when it decided to close stores due to Covid- 19 , the business should have taken a serious hit . Instead , it saw incremental growth year on year , thanks to a bespoke service it built to provide expert fit and advice in a digital environment .
Launched on 14 April 2020 , the Virtual Hub allowed customers to communicate with The Athlete ’ s Foot ’ s expert Fit Technicians through email and phone calls instead of the face-toface conversations they normally would have had in-store . The retailer later rolled out the Hero app , which added enhanced video and chat capabilities .
The whole business pulled together to get the Virtual Hub up and running in a matter of days . The CX team created an intensive training program to teach the Fit Technicians how to use the new tools and ensure they felt comfortable providing fit advice in a virtual environment , while the marketing and e-commerce teams hustled to create a new page on the website explaining the virtual fitting process and providing links to access one of The Athlete ’ s Foot ’ s Fit Technicians .
Like many fitness retailers , The Athlete ’ s Foot saw an online sales spike for running and fitness products – some of the only activities Australians could do in lockdown — so finding a way to continue providing expert fit advice was not only vital to the business , but also customers ’ health and wellbeing .
The whole business pulled together to get the Virtual Hub up and running in a matter of days .
In addition to the Virtual Hub , The
Athlete ’ s Foot also extended its return policy to 90 days , giving customers greater confidence to buy online . While stores have reopened since the number of Covid-19 cases has declined in Australia , the Virtual Hub remains open . The retailer sees it as a significant value-add to its digital footprint and customers going forward .
What the judges said : “ Reflexive , multi-phase innovation to support the in-store to digital shift in consumer shopping behaviours .” – Associate Professor Jana Bowden�
48 | www . insideretail . com . au May 2021