NBA Top Shot

INTRO

Elevate collecting with exciting pack opening

Challenge

NBA Top Shot began by selling collectibles directly but lacked excitement and differentiation. We drew inspiration from existing collectible experiences.

Opportunity

Pack openings inject excitement and the rush of chance into a conventional buying process. We aimed to make this experience enjoyable, leading to increased pack purchases and higher spending on our platform.

Hypothesis

We believed that forging fun and emotional connections with the brand would transform visitors into lifelong fans.

Success metrics

We gauged success through pack sales volume, speed, conversion rate, and overall product user acquisition. We also were looking to see if we could find a product market fit and validate our target audiences.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Balancing motivations from fandom to profit

Prestige Collector

Collectors are initially motivated by fandom and engaged long term by the community. They prioritize exclusivity and entertainment in the product. They are the most likely to stick around long term if it stays fun and others stick around. They often have an emotional connection to a particular team or player. This was our primary audience.

Sports Speculator

Sports Speculators are motivated by fandom and profit. They prioritize profit and entertainment, and will leave if the profit fades. They love to show off their deep knowledge of the sport and collectible.

Knowledge Driven Fan

Knowledge Driven Fans are motivated by status and community to show off to. They care most about the stats in the game and gamification of the collectible. If it’s too easy to know things, they will disengage. They want to be the top tier fans. They also often know information across teams or multiple sports.

Hypebeast

Hypebeasts are motivated by status within a community. They prioritize the ability to show off and are followers of trends. Unfortunately, this means they are not necessarily long term users, but there is potential to convert them to another user type from here.

Crypto Bro

Crypto Speculators are motivated primarily by profit and the ability to show off their earnings to a community of other speculators. They prioritize the ability to share their status and value of their portfolio. They are likely to leave once the value drops, but some may stick around and HODL.

THE PURCHASE

Show what they’re missing out on if they don’t join

Emphasizing the pack's rarity, with a clear display of dwindling numbers as it nears depletion

Showcasing top-tier collectibles, fueling excitement for potential pack pulls

Highlight the timeline to purchase in a countdown in upcoming packs

THE REVEAL

Build anticipation through interactive step by step reveals

Teasing Moment information gradually to ramp up anticipation and infuse a playful twist into the reveal

On desktop, showcasing rarity upon hover; later, upgrading to showcase diverse placeholder Moments for mobile accessibility

THE LOOP

Celebrate their progress + direct them where to go next

Integrated an engagement experiment called 'Baller Status,' providing a sense of long-term achievement after each pack opening

In addition to leading them to more openings, collectors were shown other packs they may be missing out on since they were all time limited drops when Top Shot was first launched