Some companies start with a product before building a community around it. But Bandit, a New York-based running clothing company, did the opposite.
Two brothers, Tim and Nick West, grew up Bandit with New York’s vibrant running community, a large and diverse group that comes together for group runs throughout the city. When Tim was looking for sportswear, he was unsuccessful. “I couldn’t find any brand that I really liked. Nothing reminded me of New York. Nothing resembled my running experience,” says Tim.
Bandit’s products have seen great success with its target market, and the brand is now working on how to support and uplift the community while growing. Moving forward, check out some of the tenets of the Bandit Community Playbook.
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Community first, product second
Tim and Nick took inspiration from other community-focused brands, like surf or skate brands, born from a group of friends who were passionate about a sport. They wanted to do something for New York’s running community, which had become so important for health and connection, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their first product was a new and improved running sock. “The running sock is a confidence-boosting product,” says Nick. “It’s a recurring product. There are big margins. It has all the hallmarks of a great initial product, but we never wanted to be a sock company. We really wanted to make an impact on the sport.
Organic growth at the start
Tim made two promises to himself when launching Bandit: “I was never going to force the product on anyone. And I wasn’t going to run any paid advertising for the first year.
New Yorkers are bombarded with ads and Tim wanted the brand to have the independent spirit that New Yorkers respect and identify with.
Nick and Tim believe that an organic foundation is essential to building a lasting and impactful brand. That’s why Bandit initially focused on word-of-mouth advertising. “It’s actually a lot scarier to try to create an iconic brand than it is to try to create a marketing funnel,” says Nick. “Building all those emotional connections in person doesn’t pay off immediately. »
Nick and Tim say founders must continue to add value to the community and create different touchpoints with their consumers. Ultimately, emotional connections will lead to sales, but more importantly, the brand will be known for its contributions to the community.
Content that highlights reality
Building a running brand meant immersing yourself in the real-life experiences of people who run. “At Bandit, we’re really good at taking the mundane moments of racing and showing you how special, charming, elegant and fun they are,” says Tim. For example, Bandit made a video of a runner preparing for a cold morning run in a captivating dance sequence.
Even the harder, nastier side of running comes to the fore. “I think showing that other side and getting back to reality is really powerful and something that brands across various industries can do,” says Tim, citing the opportunities for brands to connect with their customers through content and marketing. more relevant advertising creation.
Jogging before sprinting
Nick and Tim emphasize the importance of progress through a running metaphor: “Jog before you sprint.” They say choosing Shopify as their e-commerce platform was one of those decisions because they knew it had tools and customizations that would allow their website to grow alongside their business.
The founders took the same approach with pop-ups. Bandit held more than 10 pop-ups in the 12 months leading up to the city’s biggest running event of the year, the New York City Marathon, to find out how much to spend, how many staff they would need and how many of sales they could hope for. , in person and online.
Nick recommends being scrappy at your first in-person events: negotiate with owners, partner with other retailers, and use each event as a learning opportunity.
A home for customers
Bandit now has a store in the Williamsburg neighborhood along a popular running route, and the founders have discovered ways to turn visitors into regulars. For example, they leave a jug of water outside, in case runners pass by and need to hydrate. They also hold community runs on Saturdays, with over 100 people showing up each week to take part.
The brand’s showcase is ideally located near their office. “Every day Nick and I go to the store and hang out for 20 to 30 minutes, see who comes in and talk to whoever is working that day,” says Tim. “These interactions literally drove our decision-making for the next collection.”
To hear more about how Tim and Nick harnessed the power of the NYC running community to build a brand, listen to them full interview on Shopify Masters.
