Complex Community
Complex Community is a loyalty program that allows members to earn points through purchases and social engagement
OVERVIEW
A new destination for "superfan" culture
In 2024, livestream shopping platform NTWRK acquired Complex Networks, a media company focused on streetwear, music, and sports. The merger aims to build a new hub for 'superfan' culture for Gen Z, launching a new e-commerce marketplace that would be integrated into Complex's media ecosystem – an ecosystem that includes its own magazine, as well as hit shows like Sneaker Shopping, GOAT Talk, and Hot Ones.
GOAL
With these priorities in mind, I developed and pitched a community-based loyalty program that would increase brand affinity and customer lifetime value (CLV). The project was 0-1, and I designed 10 brand new screens that would guide their next phase of work.
METHODS
Problem Definition
Research
Personas
Survey Design & Sentiment Analysis
Wireframes & Prototyping
Usability Testing
Branding
BUSINESS GOAL
How might we create a loyalty program that increases brand affinity and customer lifetime value?
00. SOLUTION PREVIEW
A community-based loyalty program that rewards spending and engagement
• Get points with every purchase on Complex Shop and interaction with community
• Gift and get points to/from other members
• Redeem points for physical + virtual goods in Complex Shop
Value prop for users
We're starting to explore how community can thrive in different brand entry points. This helps us a lot moving forward! Let's continue the conversation.
Aleksey, Head of Content @ Complex
01. RAMP UP | WHY LOYALTY?
Loyalty isn't new, but Complex Shop is
According to Digiday, Complex's revenue streams are broken down into 4 categories, with eCommerce being the latest. With the launch of Complex Shop, there’s opportunity to build and deepen relationships with customers and increase lifetime value.
02. RESEARCH | LOYALTY CHALLENGES
Brand loyalty is dead
Today's consumer is savvy about their personal data and their options – opting for whichever product will arrive fastest and cheapest.
As a result, brands today need to evolve beyond a transactional relationship of discounts and shallow freebies to influence consumer behavior. Which begs the question is a standard loyalty program enough for Complex wants to retain its streetwear superfans?
"True loyalty is emotional and irrational. It leads to customers feeling like they’re part of an exclusive membership group." - HBR
What motivates you to consume streetwear? How do you engage with Complex?
n=10
Streetwear is aspirational self expression
Streetwear lets people express their unique personality and cultural interests (i.e., LRG & skating.) Fans gravitate toward aspirational content — like Complex's "Sneaker Shopping" series — as opposed to more superficial pop gossip content.
Complex is a magazine?
Interestingly, participants from the Discord reported that they do not read Complex editorial articles, although they follow Complex on Instagram for headlines and comments. They don't seem to be aware that some of their favorite shows are owned by Complex. They've also attended ComplexCon, Complex's annual streetwear convention.
Streetwear and loyalty pain points
n=8
Early access is crucial
Streetwear fans struggle to get limited drops due to demand and bots
People want flexibility
Customers valued free shipping, no restocking fees, and easy returns which is a rare benefit for most streetwear brands with limited inventory
Influencers get all the fun
Fans feel overlooked as influencers enjoy exclusive brand activations and experiences
Recruiting Participants
n=16
• Streetwear fans
• 26-45 yo
• US & Canada
❌ Round 1: Inconclusive
I spent two weeks interviewing streetwear fans I knew, but the results fell short. While many liked and owned streetwear, they didn't actively follow the topic and/or engage with Complex frequently.
🥷 "Hello, fellow kids"
To truly understand streetwear enthusiasts who were also Complex fans, I needed a new approach. After learning that Complex had a small Discord server, I offered participants a modest incentive to participate in an interview followed by an optional follow-up survey.
To legitimize my efforts, I sought the support and guidance from a moderator ("Hello, fellow kids.")
Community as motivation (to my surprise 😮)
As with any other kind of culture, streetwear allows people to be part of something bigger. Rather than wanting to be "exclusive", people wanted to feel included.
How important is community when it comes to streetwear?
n=5
🗯️ "All brand-run discords are dead until something cool is happening - usually a giveaway. Outside of that it's pretty quiet."
🗯️ “Exclusivity is nice, but that's not what it's about. For me, it's form of creative expression. I need to swag out, but I’m not tryna stunt. I like what I like."
🗯️ “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]."
🗯️ “In person events are always so cool. I'll strike up a conversation with a stranger if they're wearing a cool esoteric item that few people know about."
02. RESEARCH | INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
What do streetwear fans want?
02. RESEARCH | SURVEY INSIGHTS
Survey: What do fans want from a loyalty program?
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Priority access to drops
-
Discounts
-
Sample sales
-
Custom merch
-
Concert tickets
n=13
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Making purchases
-
Participating in an online community
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Listening to brand playlists
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Sharing personal info (zero-party)
-
Creating content
n=13
75% of fans prefer to earn loyalty points by participating in an online community around a streetwear or media brand they like (second to spending.)
03. DEFINE | OUR CORE USERS
Two types of fans
"No one knows how loyalty is born."
Most loyalty programs motivate members to reach spending goals in order to unlock higher-tier perks (goal gradient effect), or are subscription based. However, the best ones also have a way of creating unexpected, delightful moments to inspire the kind of emotional loyalty brands dream about. Note: This comes second to tablestakes loyalty drivers of product desirability, quality, and service.
Editorial matters
Streetwear fans don't read Complex editorial. As a magazine with ties to the music and fashion industries, Complex is well-positioned to shape the streetwear scene. Why not drive more interest towards streetwear news and thought pieces?
MVP affinity map
After several passes generating and grouping ideas, three directions emerged. While I found all three routes compelling, the "For Everyone" option stood out to me for its unique potential to create organic long-term loyalty and brand advocacy through community-led growth.
If we build it, will they come?
Practical considerations
This route is certainly the most intimidating for a couple reasons. It would require the most effort to set up and maintain, and the time to value is variable.
For this to be successful, there would need to be a separate effort to define and implement social engagement strategies – moderating content, bringing in influential voices, etc. – to keep members active and interested. Validating this on a smaller scale via pilot might be a good place to start.
It's a big bet, but establishing community-led growth would be worth it.
03. DEFINE | IDEA GENERATION
How might we create a world where fans feel connected to Complex?
04. DESIGN | THE EXPERIENCE
Loyalty 2.0 Journey
Using the peak-end rule, I mapped where I thought this solution could elevate nadirs and create peak moments (in shades of green) within the customer journey – eliminating the "dead zone" between purchase and delivery as well as post-purchase.
Redeemable rewards
Besides acting as social currency, credits earned through spending and community engagement can be redeemed for high value rewards and experiences that bring members closer to the brand and community.
04. DESIGN | COMMUNITY DEEP DIVE
How might we bring existing conversations (and ultimately, culture) into Complex Shop?
Where are conversations happening? What are people talking about?
Today, streetwear communities live on social media platforms, forums, and IRL pop ups.
What are other online communities like? What should we consider?
• User generated vs curated
• Async vs real-time
• Integration to brand
• Community size
• World building
• Engagement strategies
• How can community drive sales?
04. DESIGN | WIREFRAMES
Creating new screens and updating existing ones
Existing screens
I looked at the Complex NTWRK app to leverage existing patterns
Mid-fi screens (net new)
I created mid-fi wires and did rapid testing during this stage. Main feedback was clarity needed to the whole "gift credits as social points" mechanism.
Additional info available upon request.
Digital identity avatar
Users create a unique avatar character as their digital identity within the community
Complex Credits
Users are introduced to the Complex Credits
04. DESIGN | KEY SCREENS
Onboarding
04. DESIGN | KEY SCREENS
User Profile Dashboard
Explore, Engage, Earn
Dashboard gives you a birds eye view of your points balance, rewards, upcoming releases, and opportunities to engage with the brand and community
Community feed
Users can engage in trending editorial articles alongside user-generated content
Featured comments
Relevant top comments are featured within editorial articles to bring visibility to contributors and set the tone for community conversations
04. DESIGN | KEY SCREENS
Integration of Community + Editorial
04. DESIGN | KEY SCREENS
Giving credit where it's due
Internet points – worth more than just social currency
Users can gift credits to other users as "props" if they value their content. Credits are deposited into the other user's account where they can redeem for loyalty rewards
04. DESIGN | KEY SCREENS
Spending credits
Shop credits
Updated shopping page with an embedded "virtual credits shop" to apply benefits
Apply credits at checkout
Users can apply credits to purchases during checkout
04. DESIGN | KEY SCREENS
Product Reviews & Recommendations
Reviews in the feed
An interactive way to see product reviews in the community feed and drive traffic to Complex Shop
05. MEASURE | SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE...
Success looks like a well-run brand activation event
Launching a community is kind of like throwing a persistent party. You can't just invite everyone in and expect quality mingling. You need hosts (moderators) to curate the experience – this means creating the right spaces and mechanisms for different people (and brands) to connect, learn, and create inside jokes.
06. OUTCOMES | PRESENTING
Pitching it all to Complex
We're starting to explore how community can thrive in different brand entry points. This helps us a lot moving forward! Let's continue the conversation.
Alecksey, Head of Content @ Complex
Could I get a copy of this? I'd like to share this with my team [as we plan for Phase 2.]
Safia, Head of Design @ Complex
Really strong and grounded in UX principles. Your critical thinking / ability to take feedback in real-time is impressive.
Caitlin, Head of Product @ Complex
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