Day 8

Google

They day had finally arrived where we were to visit Google! as excited as we were, before we could make our journey there we had to pack our things and say goodbye to the Grace hotel. When we arrived at the offices the excitement had built and we made our way through the unique and modern building. We all received a name tag and waited in reception for our presenter, attempting to resist the urge to jump on the reception tyre swing. We were shortly greeted by James Toepfer their marketing manager who gave us a small tour of the building. The space was so unique and well designed anyone would surely kill to work here. The spaces included an entertainment and leisure room full of electronics and games and jars of miscellaneous food that staff could help themselves too and a staff kitchen/restaurant. James explained the buffet which was very similar to those we had encountered at our breakfasts in our hotel stay. They have a chef working full time who cooks meals for all the staff members and even provides dietary information. Although these were amazing perks I couldn't help but notice that both spaces were completely deserted. Maybe this was because of the time in the morning but I would suggest its because the staff were working hard. 

We were guided into a presentation room where gifts of Google merchandise had been left on our seats including a notebook, pen and yoyo.. Industry Manager Suzi Nicoletti then met with us to join in the presentation with James. Google have 700 marketers globally and the pair presented us with a typical case study. This case study was about understanding and reaching prospective university students through Google as 71% of education researchers rely on a university website when deciding which to attend. This meant making sure the client could be found under key words and that they had an advertising space on the page. James then spoke to us about the future of technology and the fact that soon 80% of all screen time will be digital. He explained the many channels available for there company to communicate with their users as well as collect important data about them which could be used to improve marketing strategies. One technology they have produced is Google Wallet which will allow people to use their mobile phone to make purchases. This technology will close the gap between research and final purchases. That is, at the present time marketers can study how customers are behaving online and in their research process but they cannot ultimately link this information to what that customers final actions were, this will change with Google Wallet. Another potential product for the future was augmented reality, it was amazing to hear the innovative creations the company were working on. Sadly our time here was over but fortunately next up we had Shoes of Prey.

Shoes Of Prey

After a break for lunch we had arrived in the office of Shoes of Prey, we were greeted by a wall of amazing shoes and a very stylish space.  Co-Founder Michael Fox introduced himself and sat us down for the presentation. The company are an online shoe store where women can design their own shoe, choosing the shape, colour, textures etc.  They launched in October 2009 and the concept has been a great success. They are now selling globally and in fact 60% of sales are outside Australia. They are a self funded company and explained that while Australia was a healthy market there is a higher growth rate in countries outside of Australia. Michael also talked about the 'purple cow', the need to have a unique offering, in this case people being able to create what they actually want rather than having to choose from selected and dictated styles in stores. Their company is all about experiential retail and their target market are professional women from around 25-35 years of age who have a higher disposable income.

To meet the needs of their customers and improve their marketing strategies Shoes of Prey  have engaged in customer surveys  . What they found is that while their satisfaction rate is at a great high they had a low scoring for people likely to purchase again. This can be explained by their higher price and possibly for 10%-20% of sales being for specific events such as weddings. As such a young company the team is involved in many online channels including Facebook, blog's and Youtube. Facebook has been used to engage their customers and the team have a very strong focus on delivering the best customer service. For example if someone posts a query about how a shoe looks, co-founder Jodie Fox will take a photo of herself wearing the shoes and upload to the page. This medium is also used to gauge what customers want, so the team will often post materials for the next season for customers to vote on. 

Michael also told us about their new business venture Sneaking Duck where customers can purchase a range of different frames for glasses and have them filled with their prescription. He also spoke about the prospective of Shoes of Prey expanding into belts and handbags. With new product ventures in mind so were new multi-channel solutions. These included the use of IPhone & IPad applications and even offline selling channels. Offline selling channels in this case were kiosks and possibly spaces in department stores where customers could see the product face to face. 

Michael described their barriers to entry as-

1. Brand Loyalty
2. Operations
3. Technology 
4. Partnerships

Being able to speak directly to the founder of a Company was a refreshing change. Michael was able to answer questions on any aspect of the business and being a small company all team members seemed to be involved in  many different roles, from research to creative. An amazing and innovative company, I cant wait to see what they do next. 

Flying home

After finishing up at Shoes of Prey it was time to go home, real home. So we were off to the airport and soon after on a flight back to Melbourne. It was nice to be back in my own bed, also to have the opportunity to do some much needed washing. Looking back this was one of the best days of company visits so far.