01 The Booming Esports Industry 

On September 23, 2023, the Hangzhou Asian Games commenced. Do you know which event was the most popular?

Table tennis? Diving? Or... soccer?

None of them!

During the ticketing period for the Asian Games, esports was the only event that required a lottery to purchase tickets.

In 2018, at the Jakarta Asian Games, esports debuted as an exhibition event. This time, in Hangzhou, esports will officially be included as a medal event, with seven gold medals to be awarded.

Esports is rapidly becoming a trendy cultural symbol and a new global social language among young audiences. It embodies the spirit of sportsmanship—commitment, perseverance, and determination. With its digital nature and influence over its audience, esports has become an important platform for promoting sports and facilitating cultural exchange.

The rise of esports would not have been possible without the support of various esports hardware brands. Although these brands continually iterate their products to provide players with the best gaming experience, they still face challenges in breaking into the esports scene and changing consumers' traditional perceptions.

As the esports wave gains momentum, how can the esports hardware industry capitalize on this trend and grow?

One brand has been making strides in esports, becoming the first to bravely pioneer in this industry: Republic of Gamers.

02 Republic of Gamers: Creating a Gaming Legacy 

ROG (Republic of Gamers) is ASUS's professional gaming brand, founded in 2006, dedicated to providing players with professional, efficient, and high-quality gaming equipment. Its product lines span motherboards, graphics cards, laptops, desktops, monitors, audio devices, network equipment, and gaming peripherals.

As a premium product line, ROG focuses on user experience, creating computers that meet the extreme performance and aesthetic demands of overclocking enthusiasts and gaming fans. As a result, it has become the choice of esports champions.

With the growth of esports, ROG has been building its own esports ecosystem, including hosting the Stardust League and establishing the RW Esports Club, providing grassroots players and professional athletes with a platform to pursue their championship dreams.

ROG's commitment to the gaming theme, both in its products and branding efforts, has garnered a loyal fan base, making ROG a "faith" in the eyes of its users.

However, as times change, consumers are increasingly focusing on comprehensive service experiences, looking for the embodiment of esports spirit rather than just the performance of products.

As a disruptor in the industry, how should ROG build an offline store experience that embodies the esports spirit to meet users' expectations for esports and their loyalty to ROG?

Facing this challenge, the ROG team partnered with CBi China Bridge to explore experience upgrades from a holistic perspective using service design methods.

03 What Does Faith Mean to Gamers?

To identify points for upgrading, understanding the users is essential.

Why do users visit the store?

What does their loyalty to ROG specifically represent?

Apart from purchasing computers, what emotional value can the store provide?

In the research phase, CBi China Bridge interviewed ROG's department heads, store managers, and actual users. Based on the brand’s development direction, current store services, and users' real purchasing experiences and potential needs, the service journey was reviewed. This analysis clarified the specific manifestations of “faith.”

 Faith could be the pride of saving up to buy your first computer;

It could be the joy of discussing favorite games and setup tips with like-minded friends or staff; 

Esports Streaming at ROG Stores Attracting Young Passersby

Or it could be the thrill of seeing the computer you built light up for the first time… 

For gamers, loyalty to ROG symbolizes their passion for esports and is the first step towards their dreams.

For users, ROG stores become an important gateway into esports.

What role does the store service play at this moment?

For buyers, purchasing ROG products is a crowning moment—a highlight where their faith is realized. Thus, there must be a strong sense of ceremony during the unboxing and inspection at the store.

For potential customers, visiting the store is like a pilgrimage—getting the chance to touch a computer model used by esports champions, watch match streams with friends, or chat with staff about setup tips, making them feel proud.

Interestingly, the needs of buyers and bystanders are complementary!

Bystanders want to witness the unveiling of new devices, envisioning their future selves; buyers want others to witness their highlight moment.

Imagine when you purchase your dream bag, car, or home, and a crowd gathers to witness the moment. It’s priceless, isn’t it?

Users provide each other with emotional value, and if we can build an experience around this, it will create a win-win scenario for the brand.

Through these insights, we visualized the users' "faith" and mapped out issues and opportunities for improvement across the pre-sale, sale, and post-sale stages, clearly defining the experience keywords for "fueling faith." This laid the foundation for building services that strengthen ROG's unique sense of "faith."

04 Faith Must Be Realized From a Holistic Perspective

Through user insights, we have visualized what "faith" means to users and how it manifests in their journey. But how should we design services to bring this faith to life?

Using service design, we can innovate services from a holistic perspective, examining user needs comprehensively and uncovering their root causes. By co-creating solutions, we ensure they meet the needs of all stakeholders involved.

In many cases, the shortcomings in store operations are not due to a lack of effort from staff but rather insufficient support from the backend.

Take the example of DIY computer builds in ROG stores:

If improvements were made based on traditional thinking, the advantages of DIY might gradually be lost, diluting the brand's unique appeal.

By using a service design approach, we employed a top-down view to develop a series of service concepts that emphasize the enjoyment of DIY builds. For example, setting up dedicated transparent assembly areas in stores, providing professional assembly personnel, and holding launch ceremonies ensure a complete service journey—from pre-sale consultation and configuration selection to in-store assembly and post-sale maintenance services—delivering an exceptional experience for users and enhancing the brand's impact.

What's worth noting is that the new DIY user journey not only meets buyers' expectations for ROG services but also enhances the experience of passersby who witness the product launch ceremonies in the store.

Beyond the DIY journey, there are many other opportunities for improvement, such as digitized pre-sale experiences and added-value post-sale services.

Through co-creation, we integrated the needs of key departments, including store managers, terminal operations, product, and brand design. After aligning on the current status and opportunities, the team collaborated to design future service enhancements based on the existing user journey.

 With the involvement of all departments, both the brand's vision and the operational challenges faced by frontline staff were fully communicated, discussed, and aligned upon. This foundation allowed stores to develop commercially valuable service innovations, ensuring a balance of interests for all parties and creating a customer-centric service journey that establishes a true business loop.

05 Bringing Faith Into Reality

In summary, sales and user experience are not mutually exclusive but are complementary.

Through service design, ROG not only ensures sales performance but also provides users with a unique experience and enhances its brand image.

- By conducting user insights, ROG identified core pain points and gains for its customers, understanding their true needs when visiting the store while maintaining the brand's trendy and cool characteristics.

 By co-creating and clarifying the perspectives of all stakeholders, ROG has developed a standardized service process for over 100 stores nationwide.

 Using service design, ROG has set a benchmark for the industry, accelerating the transformation of the esports sector towards new retail.

Numerous innovative concepts, such as transparent DIY assembly experiences, personalized customization, and comprehensive after-sales services, are being gradually implemented in stores.

In 2023, this project was nominated by Shanghai Design 100+ (click for more details) and shortlisted for the annual outstanding design case award in the industry.

For ROG, the journey of service design has only just begun.

By continuously iterating and leveraging service design, the brand can keep enhancing user experiences, ensuring a steady stream of improvements for its users.

May ROG continue to ride the esports wave, gathering the faith of its gamers and forging ahead!

06 What Role Should Your Store Play?

Typically, when a brand decides to upgrade its physical stores, the first focus is often on creating a visually appealing style. However, users visit stores primarily for the experience, not just the visuals. While attractive visuals may draw users in, they don’t necessarily guarantee a good experience.

What are users really looking for when they visit stores?

Is it novelty? Convenience? Status? Relaxation?

Or is it something else entirely?

ROG discovered that its users visit the store as a form of pilgrimage, a moment of coronation, and to recharge their faith.

So, why do your users visit your store?

What role does your store play for them?

What is the relationship between your store and its customers?

What needs does your store service fulfill for them?

CBi China Bridge believes:

By following a scientific methodology and centering on user needs, brands can systematically and continuously enhance the experience, ensuring that your "experience store" truly delivers an experiential feel, and that your brand remains competitive. Are you ready?