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Case study
Brewing what’s next for coffee
Developing Nespresso’s future brew with a unified, consumer-centric innovation strategy and product pipeline
Nespresso, renowned for revolutionizing the coffee culture with its sleek, single-serve espresso machines, has become synonymous with luxury and convenience in coffee consumption.
Challenge
Brewing a unified innovation strategy
Nespresso, the pioneer in single-serve coffee, sought to amplify their coffee systems and explore what consumers need next when consuming coffee.
They engaged Board of Innovation as their strategic partner and one-stop-shop, to support their innovation journey end-to-end and fuel their innovation pipeline – with near-, mid-, and long-term products.
Strategy
Crafting Nespresso’s future blend
With an agile, consumer-centric approach, we explored new consumption and growth opportunities; we reimagined Nespresso’s innovation process and developed a product pipeline of high-fidelity concepts, validated to excite and delight consumers. We developed new concepts that step beyond Nespresso’s traditional categories, and are reshaping the way Nespresso connects with your morning cup of Joe.
Outcome
A pipeline full of aroma
Nespresso filled their product pipeline, brewing an invigorated brand experience with a robust set of consumer-centric concepts. One system, one holistic brand experience.
Together, we developed new growth opportunities for Nespresso’s machines, capsules and beyond.
Challenge
Brewing a unified innovation strategy
Nespresso, the pioneer in single-serve coffee, sought to amplify their coffee systems and explore what consumers need next when consuming coffee.
They engaged Board of Innovation as their strategic partner and one-stop-shop, to support their innovation journey end-to-end and fuel their innovation pipeline – with near-, mid-, and long-term products.
Struggling with a fragmented approach to innovation due to siloed product category teams, Nespresso was determined to streamline their innovation process. The goal was to develop a unified product roadmap that would align coffee capsules, machines, and accessories, while embedding a fresh perspective on innovation methodologies. Nespresso’s ambition was to not just innovate but to revolutionize their industry standing with a partner who could understand and map their entire innovation journey from start to finish.
Strategy
Crafting Nespresso’s future blend
Together, we began a meticulous 9-month journey, crafting a cohesive innovation strategy that spanned Nespresso’s entire product spectrum.
We explored new consumption and growth opportunities and future scenarios by testing real behavior, doing future forecasting, social listening, expert interviews and internal data unpacking. This robust exploration led to the discovery of 12 high-potential innovation spaces, quantified and ranked to ensure alignment with Nespresso’s brand prowess, right to play, and market viability. We used trends and social listening tools paired with our category expertise to gauge how rapidly growth platforms will grow and when we estimate them peaking.
Engaging with customers every step of the process, iterating in co-creation, we realized that many existing assets could be utilized better; innovation doesn't always mean creating new products but often is about repurposing valuable products that do not end up in the place and type of usage they are designed for.
Robin Vermeulen, Lead Strategist at Board of Innovation
We used social listening and interviewed consumers to develop deep consumer empathy, to understand pains, gains and jobs-to-be-done. This allowed us to run needs-based ideation and frame the opportunities in the context of real customer journeys - crucial to designing solutions that get adopted, change behavior and stick.
From there, the ideation process was closely tied to validated customer needs, unlocking 100+ new value propositions. This pool of potential was refined with real-world consumer insights, narrowing down to 17 compelling concepts, ready for the next round of rigorous validation. We pivoted and iterated these concepts by conducting focus groups and interactive surveys to understand which features drive value for consumers and why, so we could hone in on valuable features and redesign the concepts to make them more successful. Through iterative experiments—from mock-up webshops to in-store testing—we not only validated concepts but also fine-tuned them, storing each evolution in an idea library that now serves as a treasure trove of insights for Nespresso’s future innovation.
What set our strategy apart was our rejection of rigid, linear processes in favor of a dynamic, insight-driven approach. This shift allowed us to inject a dose of agility into Nespresso’s innovation ethos, ensuring every step was informed by actual consumer needs and market feedback, instead of pre-set corporate strategies. Our holistic approach unified separate product teams to forge an interconnected, seamless product experience.
Outcome
A pipeline full of aroma
Together with Nespresso, we’ve identified opportunities beyond the current products & pipeline. Nespresso filled their pipeline for the coming years with consumer-centric concepts that transcend their internal structure and provide consumers with a seamless system, one holistic brand experience.
12
Opportunity spaces mapped
107
Value propositions created
17
Concepts tested and (in)validated
After completing several iteration and validation loops, 5 concepts were ready for launch, 4 concepts were reshaped for further exploration, 4 concepts were pivoted or merged into other concepts and 4 concepts were put on hold, awaiting the perfect brewing time. These curated concepts now lie at the heart of Nespresso’s strategic roadmap, set to unfold over the coming years.
Nespresso has emerged from this partnership not only with a filled innovation pipeline but also with a reinvigorated brand experience that promises to offer their customers a suite of products that seamlessly integrate into their coffee ritual.
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