"We want to solve problems like a start up."

In the summer of 2016, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) had a fundraising challenge which they wanted to "solve like a start up". Why? They wanted to deliver value quickly and reduce the risk and efficiencies that come with how things were normally being done. Not easy for an organisation as big as CRUK. We quickly got started on our energetic, (and fairly maverick) journey with them. They learnt a lot in a short space of time, using a 'start up' or 'agile' mentality, something which now informs how teams across CRUK innovate. Excitingly, this approach has been a catalyst for many similar organisations to do the same. This is the story of Furle.

THE CHALLENGE

"We need our high street charity shops to appeal to young, aspirational shoppers and generate high value stock."

GETTING STARTED

Starting with a small, enthusiastic, and - most importantly - autonomous team (and a small pot of cash), we quickly got started. We needed to road test ideas for how to appeal to CRUK's target audience and increase the profitability of their high street shops. Without breaking the bank and risking reputation.

The team first agreed WHAT they wanted to find out, and then agreed HOW to gather that information in a quick and iterative process. What followed was a series of short tests, in which each test intuitively informed the next test and so on, in an ongoing cycle of discovery.

At each stage, the idea was brought to life through snappy design which yielded behavioural insights from real supporters. Each test led us closer and closer to understanding if the idea would, or just as importantly would not, work. This was done in just 5 weeks.

TEST 1: THE DEMAND

There is demand for the proposition.

TEST 2: THE AUDIENCE

The target audience is young and aspirational.

TEST 3: THE BIG IDEA

Audience own branded clothing in good condition that they will exchange for money.

TEST 4: SCALING IT

We can sell on these clothes and make a profit, at scale.

PIVOT, PERSERVERE OR PROCEED

Typically, organisations such as CRUK find out about what their audience wants through focus groups or surveys, rather than testing real life behaviour. Instead, we first ran a test to prove there was appetite for a service where people exchanged branded clothing they no longer wanted in return for money. Through this we defined the ideal audience and developed a 'proto persona'.

The team quickly moved onto testing demand, and to their delight discovered that yes - there was a demand for this proposition, as the bags of branded 'designer' clothing came piling in. In order for this to be profitable however, we needed to test if it was scaleable.

Spoiler alert. It wasn't. The cost of postage negated the profit margin. The idea did not go any further than this. Though sad, we felt this was a win. We had got to an end result much more quickly and cheaply than we would have with a traditional 'waterfall' project. Imagine if we had launched this idea after test 3, only to find a year later that it was actually losing money! And that is the value in experimenting your way forwards in this way. It is low risk, and high reward when it comes to gathering insights.

SMALL START, BIG GAINS

One small, keen, autonomous team

A fast start and a bit of cash

Four quick tests in five weeks

Low risk to reputation

Genuine audience insights

Learnings across the organisation

A SHIFT IN MINDSET

By working in an iterative way on one project, we saw that these principles informed a mindset within other teams and across the leadership, benefitting the entire organisation.

MORE RESPONSIVE

Working in an agile way helps team and organisations to be more responsive and more comfortable with uncertainty. It is not possible to create detailed longterm plans and respond to needs as they arise.

LEARNING THROUGH DOING

No formal training took place here. We've built the teams skill and confidence through delivering value. Win - Win!

THE END RESULT (FROM CRUK'S HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY DELIVERY)

"This impressive project delivered value quickly and also played a part in establishing new ways of working across many products and projects within CRUK."

That's the story of Furle

Thank you for taking the time to read about how we worked with CRUK. If you'd like us to do something similar with you, please get in touch.

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