— CASE STUDIES
/
Financial Services
/
Just Group
Financial Services
Designing a direct-to-consumer retirement proposition to unlock new growth
Bringing together market, customer and product insight to define a new DTC proposition for one of the UK’s leading retirement specialists.
OVERVIEW
Just Group is a UK-based retirement specialist with an established intermediary distribution model. The business set out to create a new direct-to-consumer retirement proposition — engaging customers earlier in their retirement journey and diversifying beyond its existing channels. The initiative aimed to establish a proof-of-concept product in market across multiple journey stages. Palladium was engaged to support the discovery and definition of the proposition, grounding it in a clear understanding of market dynamics, customer needs and commercial opportunity.
THE CHALLENGE
Just Group’s intermediary model had served it well, but it created distance from the end customer at the point when retirement decisions are most actively considered. Building a credible DTC proposition required the business to develop a new understanding of what customers need, how they behave when navigating retirement independently and what commercial opportunity that market represented. Critically, it required aligning a broad group of senior stakeholders across commercial, product and marketing functions around a shared direction before any delivery could begin.
OUR APPROACH
Palladium synthesised existing research and identified critical gaps, translating findings into clear implications for proposition and experience design. Target customer journeys were defined for the early DTC phases, covering how customers would engage across the Visualise and Organise stages of the proposition. The commercial opportunity and competitive landscape were assessed to validate the size of the DTC market and inform positioning. Palladium then led structured co-design workshops with senior stakeholders to shape product, customer experience and go-to-market concepts, establishing a clear foundation for the delivery phases that followed.
OUTCOMES
Research gaps identified and insights actioned
Synthesised existing research and identified critical gaps, translating findings into actionable implications for proposition design.
Target customer journeys defined
Defined target customer journeys for early DTC phases across the Visualise and Organise stages.
DTC market opportunity validated
Assessed the commercial opportunity and competitive landscape, validating the size of the DTC market.
Product and go-to-market concepts co-designed
Co-designed product, customer experience and go-to-market concepts through structured stakeholder workshops.
Foundation for delivery and alignment established
Established a clear foundation for delivery phases, aligning stakeholders on proposition direction and go-to-market requirements.
GET IN TOUCH
If your business is experiencing challenges similar to those featured in our case studies, or if you’re seeking expert guidance on complex transactions and value creation, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us today to discuss your unique situation and discover how Palladium Digital can support your goals.
DTC
Proposition fully defined and ready for delivery
from discovery to stakeholder-aligned blueprint
Multi-stage
Customer journey design completed
covering Visualise and Organise phases of the proposition
Validated
Commercial opportunity and market sizing
informing positioning and product strategy decisions
PROJECT DETAILS
SECTOR
Financial Services
CLIENT
Just Group
BACKER
not applicable
SERVICES
Evidence & Assessment
CAPABILITIES DEPLOYED
Digital & Commercial Diligence
Growth Strategy & Market Intelligence
Commercial Strategy
MORE CASE STUDIES
Explore further work.
A selection of recent engagements across transaction advisory, growth strategy, AI deployment and commercial delivery.
CASE STUDY
Fashion & Luxury
Evidence & Assessment
Design & Delivery
Designing a future customer strategy and driving ecommerce growth for a luxury footwear brand
Customer strategy and ecommerce growth for a luxury footwear brand, delivering £1M+ in sales uplift through a rebuilt data foundation and a performance-focused marketing operating model.
CASE STUDY
Healthcare
Evidence & Assessment
Design & Delivery
Defining a digital strategy to enable growth for a physiotherapy and mental health provider
The work examined Ascenti’s full digital landscape, identified national and international growth opportunities and prioritised 38 targeted improvements to the digital experience.
CASE STUDY
Financial Services
Design & Delivery
Enabling group-wide scalable, technology-driven service delivery
Palladium conducted a comprehensive process baseline exercise across the group, mapping over 60 core and supporting client delivery processes end to end. Palladium defined five core transformative solutions and delivered a set of immediate practical improvements to stabilise day-to-day delivery
Speak to us
Whether you need transaction diligence, a growth strategy grounded in evidence, or a delivery team to execute - we are ready to help.