性视界

When听Oiselle (WA-ZELL) signed two-time Olympian Kara Goucher away from Nike in 2014, it听sent a听loud signal that the women鈥檚 running apparel company was hungry for a bigger slice of the multi-billion-dollar activewear industry.[2]

Oiselle, founded in 2007, has seen annual revenue growth exceed 100% since 2011.[3]听Their trajectory is promising, but the听questions the brand faces in听2015 are different and perhaps more challenging than听what they听were in 2007 (Is there a big enough market that cares about women鈥檚 running? Can we compete on cost and quality with Nike and Lululemon?).

The question for Oiselle in 2015 is how they will听continue continue delivering customer value through quality products and perceived authenticity while expanding operations to accommodate rapid growth.

 

 

Creating Value

Oiselle designs and sells women鈥檚 running apparel. Oiselle practices deep engagement with female athletes and shows a willingness to design exclusively for their lives. The brand has harnessed social media tools and superior inbound marketing content to become the cornerstone of a large community of athletes passionate about supporting women athletes, elite and casual both, in training and in life. The company, including the听CEO and many employees, use social media, race events and Oiselle-sponsored meet-ups to听speak directly with听customers about their professional and personal challenges. The company is built on a sense of authenticity that other brands, like Nike and Under Armour, strive for.

Operational Strategies

Oiselle听sells听well-designed garments and a sense of community. Their communication delivery methods are always changing to optimize their consumer connection, while their听supply chain operations follow听a more traditional path.

1. Manufacturing and Product Development:听Fabric sourcing and garment manufacturing happen primarily in China. Designs are developed in-house. Unlike competitors like Nike, Under Armour and Lululemon, Oiselle does not rely on technical materials R&D听but rather on simple听design improvements (pockets and zippers in the right places, for example) to add value. Many pieces are named after the athlete or employee who inspired the design.

   

2. E-commerce and Retail Channels:听Since 2007 customers have been able to find Oiselle online at Oiselle.com and at retailers both online and in-store. Each of these channels accounts for about 50% of total revenue.[4] Their current retail partners include听hundreds of听local running stores, Nordstrom and Amazon. Their e-commerce and social media presence provides a fantastic platform for reaching customers across the country and for connecting Oiselle fans with one another.
3. Flagship Store:听Although the company has been tremendously successful at converting online followers into customers, they are now investing in traditional retail spaces (not unlike e-commerce players Bonobos, Warby Parker and Amazon).[5] The company opened a Flagship Store in Seattle in 2015.[6]听The store serves as a community event space and is helping听build strong consumer connections to the brand.
4. 鈥淭he Flock:”听Customers feel so connected to the brand that they are willing to pay $100 for a singlet and the privilege of being听Oiselle-branded听during races. The company and its fans听call听this privilege听joining听the Oiselle Flock.[7] Because Oiselle capped Flock membership at 250, the company had to send away听hundreds of fans who were willing to pay to wear 鈥淥iselle.鈥� CEO Sally Bergesen is currently developing a听vision of听what the Flock will look like in the future.
5. Elite Athletes听and a touch of rebellion:听Oiselle has equity agreements听with professional athletes Kara Goucher (previously with Nike) and Lauren Fleshman.[8] They also sponsor a number of less-visible women who are training to compete on the world stage. Their heavy investment in athletes, despite their relatively small size, is听as a strong signal that the brand is听committed to helping women鈥檚 running grow. Similarly, they are outspoken听critics of what they perceive as听opaque and arbitrary听national and international sport governance that are hampering the growth of the sport.

What’s Next

Ultimately, Oiselle makes products that women runners love. They have built a successful brand in a highly competitive space by harnessing听their e-commerce and social media presence, and have show flexibility in operational design by developing听new customer contact points like the Flagship Store and The Flock, and by aligning听with admired female athletes. However, their听method of value delivery to customers will be challenged by inevitable operational expansion. When a flagship store that hosts Oiselle events is supplanted by tens or hundreds of stores across the country, will those stores mean as much to the female running听community? Will customers still feel personally connected to the brand if the CEO is too busy to听respond to their tweets and cheer听at their races? The听current operating model has supported eight years of strong听growth, but it may need to adapt to make the next eighty听possible.

Short film by Oiselle about the inefficiencies and failures of USA Track and Field

[1] , accessed 12/8/15

[2] , accessed 12/8/15

[3] , accessed 12/8/15

[4] , accessed 12/8/15

[5] http://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-seattle-bookstore-review-2015-12, accessed 12/8/15

[6] , accessed 12/8/15

[7] http://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/oiselle-wants-to-be-a-different-kind-of-apparel-brand, accessed 12/8/15

[8]http://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/oiselle-wants-to-be-a-different-kind-of-apparel-brand, accessed 12/8/15

All photo and video content credited to Oiselle unless otherwise noted.