ROXY & RVCA:
Consulting Project & Treatise
Since the early 1990s, global clothing brands RVCA and ROXY have been considered two of the most trusted, popular brands among active surf, snow, and beach goers. With the growing popularity of athleisure and activewear apparel since the start of the pandemic, Boardriders approached us to better understand consumer insights and offer products that meet the needs of their customers.
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As part of a research team, I contributed to answering how Boardriders could build on their success in the women’s fitness market through their brands, ROXY and RVCA.
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My role spanned the entire research process, from conceptualization to delivery. Key responsibilities included:
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Designing the research plan, survey, and discussion guide
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Managing client communication throughout the project
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Conducting 30 in-depth interviews
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Designing and distributing a 50-question awareness, trial, and usage survey
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Synthesizing findings and delivering three detailed reports to the client
To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study. All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Boardriders.
OUR RESEARCH PROCESS​
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UNDERSTANDING ROXY & RVCA
BUSINESS CONTEXT ​
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We initially met with the team of brand managers in France and California to understand the overarching business objectives, appropriate research methodologies to use, and the trajectory our research should take.
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THE CHALLENGE​
UNDERSTANDING THE PANDEMIC'S IMPACT ON THE ACTIVE AND ATHLEISURE US MARKET
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We quickly found that given the rapidly changing environment contributed to the pandemic, the women's fitness and athleisure needed to be assessed by the brands to stay current and competitive. ROXY and RVCA sought to understand how women were wearing active and athleisure apparel, their purchase behavior, and use cases.
KICKOFF AND RESEARCH DESIGN STRATEGY
MIXED METHODS APPROACH ​
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In-Depth Interviews
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We chose to conduct in-depth interviews and a survey due to the complexity of the research and need for a mixed methods approach. We explored and discovered women's behavior through our in-depth interviews and confirmed results through a robust awareness, trial and usage survey.
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The in-depth interviews were the core of the research. By conducting 30-in depth interviews, we uncovered the "why" behind the explosive trend of active and athleisure apparel, including why women love active and athleisure apparel and the different occasions they wore it to. We approached the interviews at both a holistic and granular level with a carefully planned discussion guide that helped us discover everything from key brand impressions to unique product attributes that turned curious customers into confident brand loyalists.
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Awareness, Trial, and Usage Survey ​
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Following the in-depth interviews, we verified what we found by conducting an awareness, trial and usage survey. The survey was distributed nationwide to thousands of women where we touched on a variety of topics we still had questions about and wanted to verify from our qualitative research.
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WHO TO INCLUDE? ​
RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
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Participants were recruited in different geographic locations in the USA that aligned with ROXY and RVCA's identified brand segments shared with us during our introductory meeting. They included participants who identified as female as our study focused on women's purchase behavior, as well as other key characteristics of the segments provided to us by our client.
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Qualitative Collection: Participants were recruited for the in-depth interviews through an email sent to existing customers of the brands (15 for Roxy and 15 for RVCA) where they completed an initial screener tool to ensure they qualified. ​When scheduling interviews, participant information was verified to ensure accuracy.
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Quantitative Collection: Participants were recruited for the survey in collaboration of a panel company. A screener tool was integrated into the beginning of the survey to ensure participants qualified.
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DIGGING THROUGH THE DATA
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ANALYSIS
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In-Depth Interviews
During each interview: My co-researcher and I followed a standard procedure and best practices in writing down raw quotes with what the participant had literally said, being careful not to add any of our own insights into the quotes.
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Immediately after each interview: We would quickly jot down highlights and key insights that we drew from the interviews. Using Zoom Cloud, we reviewed certain video transcripts on the platform to confirm our notes. All notes were included in a shared document.
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Following the conclusion of the 30 interviews: We reviewed our notes, discussed key themes, and went back to certain participant videos to review together in full to gather deeper insights.
WHAT WE FOUND ​
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
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We prepared and presented three reports in three separate meetings to the team of brand managers in France and California which was met with excitement and conversation.
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The reports included a:
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Secondary Research Report including a gap analysis and competitive analysis of the brands
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Qualitative Report including 80 slides of results, implications and recommendations
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Quantitative and Qualitative Mixed Method Report including final recommendations, results from the quantitative and how the research verifies and confirms the qualitative report
WHY DID IT WORK?
REFLECTION
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​​My research skills skyrocketed thanks to this project and the project served as a valuable professional development opportunity. Below are a few of my learnings from the project:
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Why was I essential to this project? I always took a proactive approach to ensure the research stayed on track. I was determined, laser-focused, and reliable throughout the project.
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What did I contribute that was special? I am experienced creating reports with commanding graphs and visuals that capture an audience’s attention. I also understand the importance of ensuring that complex data is delivered in a way that does not overwhelm the audience. This strength proved to be useful when preparing the presentations, especially with the quantitative presentation. ​
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What was the most challenging part? This project had an aggressive timeline and there were many sleepless nights. It was challenging to prepare three robust reports as a consultant for the first time in addition to my many other responsibilities (internship, full-time job, UX consulting work, and 3 classes). By staying organized, communicating with my co-researcher daily, and mapping out our schedules on a weekly basis to meet, we were able to succeed.
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What would I do next time to make it easier? Invest in tools that streamline research, like video transcript technology like Dovetail. The in-depth interview recordings were reviewed using Zoom transcripts which cost many hours. I also think taking more notes after each in-depth interview would have proven to be valuable. Qualitative research can be time-consuming no matter the tools used, but everything was very manual with the process when it did not have to be.
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Would I consider this a successful project? YES. The project deliverables and outcomes were met with overwhelmingly positive stakeholder reaction. Our client was receptive to the results and we successfully answered all of the research objectives and expectations stated in the research plan. I am certain our work had a major impact on ROXY and RVCA.
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How are the brands going to benefit from the research? We were synthesize our findings to identify both gain points and pain points that will positively impact brand initiatives and change the business's future. Our recommendations were powerful in the sense that they were data-driven and advocated for their customer wants, desires, and needs. We succinctly shared the results from 30 interviews and over 500 survey responses quite well and in a way that was understandable.
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