Adagio TeasBrand Experience Story

Seth BrewerJanuary 2009

The Company

Founded in 1999 with the aim of providing consumers with unmatched quality and variety of teas.

Has become the most popular destination for tea online

Among the highest rated companies on BizRate and Epinions

Singled out by Consumer Union as having the "most trustworthy" consumer practices.

Its products include loose teas, gourmet teabags, unsweetened ready-to-drink teas and imaginative teaware.

In addition to its online store, Adagio Teas' products are available in many gourmet and health food stores, including Whole Foods, Wegmans and Earth Fare.

adagio.com

The User

Web pro for a Fortune 100 company. New to tea -- doesn't know much about it except that he likes Earl Grey.

Goals: Interested in finding a good loose-leaf Earl Grey tea.

Needs: Must feel a high level of trust with the company he is ordering from. Must be confidant that the product will be high quality and the transaction will be safe. Since tea is something the user is just experimenting with, he is very cost conscious.

Self Portrait by Baron Von Foss

Wired Magazine 2008

First Encounter

Finding – Google Search

Search for "Tea" on Google. First page above the fold link. Well written description. Click...

Finding – Home Page

First impression: nicely formatted site. Excellent structure, everything holds together, clear information grouping, excellent graphics, friendly.

Finding – Home Page

OK, do they have Earl Grey? Let's see, Earl Grey is a black tea, I'll start there. Click...

Finding – Teas

Whoa, that's a lot of different teas... is Earl Grey in there? a... b... c... e... oh yeah, Earl Grey Bravo... that sounds right. Click...

Finding – Teas

Wow that's a dramatic product shot. Love the detail though. Doesn't look like any Earl Grey I've ever seen before. Never heard of Bravo either. Let's see what the description says...

Learning – Teas

Nice short description -- three sentences -- sweet! Very well written -- light, but fact-filled. But am I going to like it? Oh, there are reviews...

Learning – Teas

Holy smokes, there are a lot of reviews... good reviews too. Another tab: "Story" let's check it out. Click...

Learning – Teas

Hm, a little history of where Earl Grey came from. Nice. "Recommendations"? Click...

Learning – Teas

No page refresh. very nice. Other teas that are like Earl Grey. I’ll check those out later. "Share & Save" Click...

Learning – Teas

Oh, I can send it to a friend. That does nothing for me. What's this other stuff? Social network? Digg? RSS? Don’t see how that helps me either. I’ll come back to it.

Learning – Teas

OK good site, I trust it’s good tea, but how much is going to cost? Easy to see that it's right there... Four packaging options different sizes. 8oz tin $12.00. That's a good price. And hey, look that's only 12 cents a cup!

Transacting – Cart

Nice, still on the same page, and look at that, my shopping cart is right there and check out is just a click away. Click...

Transacting – Checkout

Login? Hmm... not sure I like that, but it's just email address for now so OK... Click...

Transacting– Checkout

Ok normal stuff here, nice easy chunks. Enter info, Click...

Transacting – Checkout

Look at that, confirmation screen already. That was easy. Nice clean clear presentation.

Interruption

Argh... Cancel order...

Lovely wife walks in..."I already bought tea

yesterday."

Lovely wife walks in..."I already bought tea

yesterday."

Second Encounter

Marketing - Email

An email from Adagio Tea? How’s that? Click...Wow, that's hard core. 5 bucks off? Running low on tea again... I'm in. Click...

Marketing - Retention

Look at that, the site recognizes me and my cart is still loaded. One click to check out. Click...

Marketing - Retention

Complete...

Marketing - Retention

Confirmation email... nice brand cohesion.

Third Encounter

Customer Focus - User-Centric

Let’s check status... Log back in... Nice, right to my order history and the order tracking is right on screen. Good, looks like it's almost here.

Fourth Encounter

Marketing - Retention

Tea arrives. Fast shipping. Everything is there. Nicely packaged - shipping box graphics hold true to the website. Nice containers - solid and sophisticated.

Marketing - Retention

Tea looks, smells, and tastes great.

Marketing - Retention

Same day tea arrives... an email in my inbox letting me know it was delivered. Very impressive.

Fifth Encounter

Site Features

This is where I will be getting my tea from now on. What else is on the site?

Site Features

Reorder... keeps track of what I’ve ordered in the past. Convenient. Makes me feel like they remember me and are trying to make my life easier.

Site Features

Auto Delivery... A nice feature. I especially like that they have my previously ordered teas listed again.

Site Features

Returns & Claims... They even make returns easy. Displays a lot of respect for the customer.

Site Features

Mail Free Gift Certificates... great way to encourage referral sales.

Site Features

Blends... the iTunes of tea.

Site Features

Blends... make your own blend.

Site Features

Blends... make your own label.

Site Features

Recommendations... cross-sell via peer purchase data.

Site Features

Live chat... supports customer service, supports sales.

Site Features

Tea Map... find a tea shop near you. Building a tea community -- and winning over stores that don’t sell Adagio Teas... yet.

Site Features

Tea Map... peer reviews.

Site Features

Newsletter... creates awareness, builds loyalty, drives sales.

Site Features

Forum... builds community, supports sales.

Site Features

Twitter... builds awareness, builds community, educates customers, supports sales.

Site Features

Twitter... gift certificate offer... encourages following, keeps adagio top of mind.

Site Features

RSS Feeds... educates customers, keeps adagio top of mind.

Conclusion

This company has fully embraced the web as a business environment. The web is not just a part of their business, it is the core of their business.

Using this site is like going to a small independent boutique brick and mortar. You feel comfortable and respected. You feel the owner is working hard for your business. You feel like an important customer.

Adagio sells excellent tea. That fact is almost overshadowed by the passion for their teas and their customers that is on display through just about every available medium and at every point of contact.

Brand = “how you make people feel.” Adagio makes you feel very good.

adagio.com