I have had the privilege of supporting go-to-market innovation and growth for Dyson Americas.
What a wild rollercoaster. I joined Dyson in March of 2020, four days before remote work became the new normal. We all pivoted, adapted, and navigated the uncertainty of the next few years ahead. I thrive in ambiguity but was definitely tested.
I joined Dyson with the intention of supporting business change and growth from the inside, instead of on a project basis as a consultant, and have been able to do just that. Part of my remit has been the freedom to identify opportunities, build the case, and work with relevant stakeholders and SMEs to bring solutions to life. Some opportunities take only a few weeks, while others can take years to actualize. I have featured some examples of projects that came to life but like with all business-building work, some efforts are still underway and can’t be readily shared.
AI-powered site search makes it easier to find answers
When it was brought to my attention that Dyson’s search solution needed a lot of management and had an average “no results found” of over 30% of searches, I jumped at the opportunity to prove out the missed opportunity.
After exploring other vendors, we landed on YEXT’s Answers solution. We were able to implement the solution with minimal technical development using natural language processing (NLP) off a knowledge graph. The solution proved its value quickly with a return on investment in less than 3 months of go-live.
New retail model for Dyson stores and repair service in Dallas
Dyson has flagship stores in several major city centers around the world. These stores are designed to demonstrate the engineering and technology that goes into every Dyson machine. Along with these demo stores, Dyson has several service centers in the US market to support owners with repair and service needs.
My team was tasked with developing a new retail model that married the elevated experience of a demo store with the capabilities of a service center. We designed and executed research studies, stakeholder interviews, and industry benchmarking to outline the business and build requirements. After over a year of planning and construction, the first Dyson store and service center opened its doors in 2022 in Dallas Texas.
Designing and launching the Dyson Care Alexa Skill
Sometimes your vacuum makes a funny noise or the power keeps cutting out. You don’t know what is causing it, but you know something is wrong. Here is where the Dyson Care Alexa skill comes in.
With the rise in smart home assistants and advancements in conversational AI, Dyson wanted to explore how this technology could support troubleshooting common issues for cord-free vacuum owners. Working with a conversational AI agency we developed an Alexa skill for the US and DE markets. We aimed to pioneer AI automated service and care solutions. While the technology continues to evolve, we are ready for the next evolution of AI automated service.
Launching a social strategy & native platform shopping
Without Dyson having a clear presence on Tiktok, Dyson products were going viral through organic content. In 2021 searches for #DysonAirwrap had a massive 1.8 billion views. We got to work determining the right approach to capitalizing on the attention and preparing for a new product launch.
After industry and consumer research we outlined an approach that led Dyson to launching market-specific accounts and in-app shops, all in time for the launch of Dyson’s Chitosan.
Researching and designing paid styling services
At Dyson, we have a saying “When we demo, we win”. Our technology speaks for itself when people try it themselves. Our stores offer customers the opportunity to test our vacuum technology and air purifiers. Even with sample hair for beauty demos, it is hard to know how it will work on your hair.
In select stores, we want to offer paid styling services so you can see how Dyson’s beauty tools work on your hair while consulting with the stylist on how best to use the products. We conducted qualitative and quantitative research to understand paid styling motivations, desired styles, and expected amenities. We not only designed the styling service, but we uncovered the need to expand our menu of available styles to support more type-4 hairstyles. This included additional training for our staff stylists. Dyson Beauty is designed for all hair types and our offerings now reflect that.
Trainings and workshops on effective storytelling
I am fortunate to have had formal graphic communication and design training and also to work on the business side. One of the many things I bring to the business is the ability to take complex information and deliver a clear story and message. Because of this unique skill and my workshop facilitation expertise, I was asked in 2020 to develop a training workshop on visual storytelling. I have since given this workshop several times to different functions [groups or audiences?] over the years.
The workshop dives into foundational frameworks and visual tips and tricks that are easy to digest. I shared examples and had the audience conduct different activities to help those in the business put these learnings into action.
Try Dyson while on vacation
We know that when people try Dyson products, they get the hype. We were always looking for opportunities and new ways to get Dyson products into the hands of more potential customers. This is where Minoan comes in. Minoan offers luxury vacation rentals and boutique hotels the opportunity to outfit their properties with luxury home goods. It offers brands pre-agreed sales terms for these properties with a consumer-facing digital storefront to ‘shop your stay’.
I collaborated with the Direct B2B and B2C sales teams to design the process and agree to beneficial terms that would support getting Dyson products into these properties and the hands of potential future customers.
Battery recycling program launch
Batteries lose their efficiency over time. At Dyson we care about our impact on the environment and pioneered lean engineering to reduce the amount of material needed to make a Dyson product.
In an effort to support circular accountability Dyson partnered with Call2Recycle in Canada and the US to provide battery recycling services. Owners can bring in their end of life batteries to a Dyson store or service center and we will recycle it. In a matter of 3 weeks I was able to align internal teams, establish the vendor relationship and set into motion the retail training to stand up the program.