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Case Study:
YMCA Apparel Engine

 

The Situation

The client (YMCA Metro Marketing) came to us with a need to standardize their t-shirt designs. This was due to branch members (end users) approaching both Symphonix and their marketing department for creative work making the process a bit convoluted. They have dozens of shirt graphics, 17 different branches, and countless variations of text for programs such as:

  • Y Readers
  • Afterschool programs
  • Swim instructors & lifeguards
  • Youth sports
  • Adult sports
  • Summer day camp
  • Etc. 

They wanted a streamlined way for their members to have some creative liberty designing t-shirts while also maintaining brand standards. In addition, they wanted stakeholders to have eyes on this process with the ability to approve and edit designs as needed.

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Screenshot 2024-07-31 134509
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Live Proof Previews
Live Proof Previews
Preset Selections
Preset Selections
Editable Text
Editable Text

The Symphonix Solution

The shear scope and volume of these t-shirt requests made this the perfect opportunity to employ some of our marketing automation technology. Plans were made to build an “apparel engine,” where the end user could design their shirts within our company store platform using dynamic templates.

The client supplied us with all their active graphics, logos and approved text. These would be thoughtfully loaded into a single store item allowing the users to choose their shirt colors, sizes and quantities then customize the front, back and/or sleeve with the assets provided. An option for free-form text would also be added along with an approval process so the marketing stakeholders could maintain brand compliance. 

The Execution

It was certainly a challenge to think through and connect all the color and layout options. However, the client provided a great group of “beta testers” who gave valuable feedback at the end user level. Hundreds of scenarios were considered, and countless tests were run to ensure a seamless experience for the users. Once those tests were successful, we had a select few branch members place actual orders so we could see the process from start to finish.

After a few more updates, the apparel engine was rolled out to a wider user base. A process was also developed for maintaining and updating the asset library as the clients’ needs changed for seasonal events.

Overall, an incredible number of hours are saved every week by centralizing this apparel ordering process.
The benefits are many:

  • Fewer touchpoints
  • Complete brand compliance
  • Empowerment of branch members to self-serve
  • Quality controlled, print-ready artwork
  • Easy checkout processes
  • Success!

 

Looking for success like this?

If you have a need to empower field teams to build their own shirts and provide a variety of designs, we make the process as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Work with our team on desired options and designs.

2. Select underlying t-shirt options (long-sleeve, short-sleeve, cotton, polyester, blend, premium, etc.)

3. We build the technology and launch to target audience with custom training.

 

Contact Us to Get Started!