A new destination for streetwear fans
I partnered with Complex during its acquisition by NTWRK to define a 0-1 loyalty strategy for a unified shopping app, which integrates e-commerce with editorial content catered to their existing audience of streetwear fans.
As a sole product designer pitching this idea, I researched, designed, and presented a 0-1 loyalty program and community prototype to the Complex leadership team. Insights and prototype influenced the launch of Complex’s online community feed and in-flight loyalty program. See the community feed (opens in a new window)
Designing loyalty for a culture-driven editorial brand entering commerce
Complex wanted to create a loyalty program for customers. They also wanted to:
- Integrate shopping and editorial experiences
- Increase repeat visits beyond high-heat drops
- Improve purchase intent for low-heat products
Hypothesis: Rewarding engagement alongside spend would give fans more reasons to return beyond drops and spend-only rewards.
0-1 Solution: Spend, engage, earn
I prototyped a points-based loyalty system that rewarded purchase behavior, editorial engagement through reading and commenting, and community contribution by posting to a newsfeed.
I prototyped the new screens leveraging Complex NTWRK app's existing patterns, so that loyalty and community would feel native to the shopping experience rather than bolted on.
While the loyalty program is still in development, the community feature has launched.
The community layer served three purposes:
- Recognize cultural contribution alongside spend
- Increase repeat visitation outside of drops
- Capture first-party intent signals to improve mid-tier product discovery
Internet points worth more than just social currency
Users can gift credits to other users as digital props (a twist on Reddit's gold feature taken from my competitive research.)
Credits here function as social currency inside the community and come with real redemption value. Earned and gifted credits can be redeemed for rewards like early access, discounts, brand events, sample sales, and free shipping.
In rapid testing of mid-fi wireframes, “gifting credits as social currency” confused testers, so I added a dismissible banner to explain.
Featured comments
How we got there
I did a ton of research into streetwear fan culture: what drives them, where they socialize, and pain points.
I mapped out the customer loyalty cycle and identified opportunities to turn post-purchase lows into memorable highs (in green.) Rather than letting engagement peak at checkout and delivery, “Engage” & “Earn” bridges the dead zones in between in order to increase the frequency of memorable moments.
Brand loyalty is dead, yet culture persists
I first interviewed streetwear fans to understand what motivates them to buy streetwear, then followed up with a survey on how they would most like to earn points and which rewards matter most to them, from priority access to drops to VIP meet and greets.
Research showed that streetwear fans tend to buy from whichever platform sells their desired product the cheapest and fastest, and are skeptical of their data being used. Traditional points programs that reward spend fail to build the sort of attachment that qualifies as a competitive moat. True loyalty is emotional and irrational.
Yet, Complex has an engaged audience who regularly consumes their cultural content through multiple surfaces: online editorial, social media, TV shows, and pop up events. The engagement to Complex and streetwear is already there, the question is how to harness it.
- 13
- participants interviewed
- 1
- follow-up survey
- 75%
- want to earn points through community, second only to spending
- Discord
- participants were sourced from the Complex Discord (with help from a moderator)
- “If it wasn't for community, I wouldn't be as into streetwear. When you meet other people that have the same aesthetic, that extends to other interests, too.”
- “I always rush to the comments [on Hypebeast and Complex's Instagram].”
- “All brand-run Discords are dead until something cool is happening, usually a giveaway. Outside of that it's pretty quiet.”
A few quotes from user interviews
How might we design a loyalty program that rewards cultural participation?
After several rounds of generating and grouping ideas, three directions emerged. I scored each on relevance to fans, impact, and effort.
| Direction | The idea | Relevance | Impact | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community hub | Earn points by discussing streetwear and style in a space built into editorial, and gift points for helpful comments and inspiration | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Multi-layered loyalty | Link favorite brands and lifestyle apps like StockX and GOAT to earn as you go, with expert-led Q&As to draw participation | 5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Partnerships | Earn through partner brands and apps, with personalized drop alerts for Complex Shop releases | 4/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
The program was designed around our three personas, so there's something for every kind of fan:
- For everyone: earn and gift points in a community that rewards conversation
- For the style geek: earn points when you shop partner brands and complete surveys
- For the collector: attend events to unlock early access to exclusive drops and meetups
Solution: Community hub
I chose the community hub. It was the hardest bet, but it's a moat: only a community builds something competitors can't copy. It needs moderation, active voices, and time to pay off, so I'd start small, with featured comments, editors as hosts, and quick experiments.
- Earn beyond checkout: reading, commenting and posting earn points, not just purchases
- Credits as props: fans gift credits to each other's posts and comments, with real redemption value
- Featured comments: the best takes are pulled into editorial articles, so top contributors get seen
- Access, not just discounts: credits unlock early access to drops, brand events and sample sales
Pitching it to Complex
I presented my research and prototype to the Complex leadership team, who used my insights to inform their efforts and roadmap. We even talked about small experiments we could run.
“This helps us explore how community can thrive in different brand entry points moving forward. Let's continue the conversation.”
Content @ Complex
“Could I get a copy of this? I'd like to share this with my team [as we plan for Phase 2].”
Design @ Complex
“You bring a collaborative spirit, and your ability to take feedback in real-time is impressive.”
Product @ Complex
Small experiments
Given more time, we would have started validating this concept further with smaller experiments to test retention, reciprocity, and click through to products. Here were some that came out of the meeting:
- Top comments embedded in articles
- An ephemeral comments section tied to high-heat product drops
- Free credits and comments for anonymous users
What I learned
Socialize earlier. I spent too long developing ideas independently. Bringing stakeholders in sooner and exploring more directions would have helped challenge assumptions, build buy-in and create champions.
Balance research with experimentation. By the sixth interview I was hearing the same things, and I should have started testing concepts in parallel to learn and iterate faster.
Think in smaller experiments. I focused on developing a blue sky solution without ideating enough of near-term MVP options. Since then, I've begun thinking in terms of smaller, testable experiments to build the confidence needed to support the bigger vision.
The team eventually launched the community feed outside of the app. After adopting AI coding tools, they have also begun re-exploring a loyalty program built around exclusive access to events.