GRAIL Power-lacing Sneakers
This project was a requirement for the E-Commerce Entrepreneurship course at the University of Michigan. The class equips students with the skills necessary to launch a successful e-commerce venture while addressing common challenges and pitfalls. I worked on a team of 5 other students. We won 1st place in the pitch competition.
PROBLEM:
Tying shoe laces can be very inconvenient because 1) it takes time, 2) laces don’t always stay tightened, and 3) sometimes laces break. Some people even avoid tying their shoe laces by just tucking their laces into their shoe. Unfortunately, current market auto-lacing shoes are bulky, expensive, and not aesthetically pleasing.
DESIGN CONCEPT:
Shoe laces are tightened using an internal pulley system. The tightening mechanism is in the heel. As you pull your shoe onto your foot using the heel tab, you’re automatically tightening your shoe in a continuous smooth motion. The shoes are sleek, stylish, and significantly cheaper ($249) than other auto-lacing shoes on the market.
BRAND STRATEGY:
“Not only do we want people to buy our shoes, but we also want people to come back and be invested in our vision to revolutionize the sneaker industry.”
No laces, No hassle. Revolutionize.
GRAIL™ Sneakers, Inc. designs athletic footwear with three principles in mind: fashion, affordability, and ease of use. Our flagship product, the GR-1, utilizes an internal pulley system for adjusting shoe lace tightness. GRAIL™ Sneakers, Inc. prides itself on being technologically innovative, yet fashionably forward. Our innovative shoe-tightening mechanism works as a pulley attached to the back of the heel. In one natural motion, you can slide your shoe on and tighten it.
BLOG MARKETING SAMPLES:
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:
BENCHMARKING RESEARCH:
Nike and Powerlace are two competitors who utilize Instagram as a social media platform. Nike and Powerlace both offer very similar auto-lacing shoes, but their Instagram profiles are very different. Nike follows 138 accounts and has 67.5 million followers. Powerlace follows 36 accounts and has 78 followers. Both Nike and Powerlace have white logos on black backgrounds for their profile photo. Both companies have links in their bios and utilize relevant hashtags for searchability. Nike does a better job at engaging customers by posting exciting videos.