What Zebra Group does

Groupe Zebra is a privately held French strategic design and innovation consultancy founded in the mid-1980s by Bertrand Barré and headquartered in La Tour de Salvagny, in the Lyon metropolitan area. Operating as a Société Anonyme with 12 international offices (Paris, Toronto, Shanghai, Munich, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, Casablanca, Lyon, Brussels, Milan, Zurich), the firm delivers an integrated portfolio organized into five practice areas: decoding customer usage through anthropological observation; boosting client offerings via strategic marketing and innovation strategy; developing physical and digital product, packaging, retail, and service design; singularizing brand strategy and identity; and transforming client organizations through innovation training and change management.

The firm's central asset is its proprietary Vision Oblique® (Oblique Vision) methodology — a registered trademark founded on anthropology that combines field observation, usage engineering, and hybrid thinking to surface opportunities conventional market research misses. Supporting proprietary frameworks include Observations Obliques (in-situ filming and behavioral analysis), Eye.novation (athlete/user-centered sports-equipment methodology), Design Sprint (rapid concept-to-POC), Design Fiction, and Hybrid Thinking. The technology stack is therefore methodological and human-centered rather than software-platform-led; AI surfaces as an enabler in collective-intelligence workshops, not as a differentiated technical product.

Groupe Zebra makes money through enterprise professional-services engagements — strategy consulting, design execution, and innovation organization transformation — delivered as project-based work or retainers to large multinational brand owners. Marquee clients span food and beverage (Burger King, Valrhona, La Boulangère), sports and leisure (Rossignol, Babolat, Lapierre), mobility (Aixam), habitat (Tryba), agriculture (Vilmorin, Lur Berri), healthcare (Urgo), and luxury/lifestyle (Michelin Lifestyle). Distribution is direct enterprise sales via senior-leadership engagement and onsite workshops, with no e-commerce or transactional channel. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per engagement. Revenue, ownership, and financial disclosures are limited; the company appears founder-controlled, self-funded, with no public listing or external private-equity backing on record.

Name

Zebra Group

Legal name

Groupe Zebra

Website

https://groupezebra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Groupe Zebra is a French-founded strategic design and innovation consultancy using its proprietary Vision Oblique® anthropology-based methodology to deliver brand strategy, product design, and innovation consulting to large multinational enterprises across food, sports, mobility, health, and luxury sectors from 12 international offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design and Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Management Consulting Services (54161), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Strategic design consulting
• Innovation management
• Brand strategy services
• Product design agency
• Customer experience design

Headquarters

HQ city

La Tour-de-salvagny

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for strategic marketing, innovation strategy, and business anthropology. Engagements with enterprise clients to develop growth strategies, innovation roadmaps, and organizational transformation.
2. Design Services: Comprehensive design offerings including product design, branding, packaging design, retail design, web design, service design, and customer experience design. Billed as project-based engagements or retainers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Groupe Zebra is a global strategic design and innovation consultancy that helps influential enterprise clients create customer experiences, products, and services by aligning offer and brand through usage engineering and design. The firm operates across five integrated practice areas—Decrypting Usages, Boosting the Offer, Developing Design, Singularizing the Brand, and Transforming Organizations—anchored by its proprietary Vision Oblique® anthropological methodology developed over 40 years.

Product overview

Groupe Zebra is a global design and innovation consultancy operating across 12 international locations (Paris, Toronto, Shanghai, Munich, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, Casablanca, Lyon, Brussels, Milan, Zurich). The company offers an integrated portfolio of strategy, innovation, and design services organized around five core practice areas: (1) Decrypting Usages (anthropological observation, usage analysis, customer journey audits, consumer testing, sector trends), (2) Boosting the Offer (strategic marketing, growth strategy, innovation strategy, offer redesign, portfolio management, foresight, design fiction), (3) Developing Design (product design, prototyping, eco-design, service design, customer experience, retail design, packaging, web design), (4) Singularizing the Brand (brand strategy, platform, architecture, branding, territory, licensing), and (5) Transforming Organizations (innovation training, organizational audits, collective intelligence workshops, change management). The firm is anchored by its proprietary Oblique Vision (Vision Oblique) methodology—a human-centered, anthropology-based approach combining Design Thinking, Lean Startup principles, and exclusive techniques developed over 40 years. Key publications include CEO Bertrand Barré's book 'Innover juste, pas juste innover' and related titles on brand strategy and packaging. The company serves clients across diverse sectors including food, sports, mobility, luxury, healthcare, industry, and retail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Marketing Consulting Development of sharp marketing strategies to amplify the market relevance of enterprise clients' offerings. Service for large corporations seeking to align brand and market position.
• Strategic Innovation Consulting Optimization of innovation potential through strategic advice tailored to organizational challenges. Service for enterprises seeking to manage innovation processes and develop innovation roadmaps.
• Growth Strategy Consulting Strategic growth planning and market expansion consulting for enterprise clients seeking to accelerate business growth and enter new markets.
• Product Design Creation of high-performance product concepts addressing real consumer needs, from concept through 3D design and prototyping. Service for enterprises across sports, mobility, home, and consumer goods sectors.
• Packaging Design Design of packaging identities that combine visual impact, inspiration, and clear product information for shelf presence. Service for FMCG and food industry clients.
• Retail Design Creation of immersive and impactful retail spaces designed to captivate and engage visitors. Service for retail and home improvement clients.
• Customer Experience Design Transformation of customer experience to create unique and loyalty-building interactions across all touchpoints. Service for enterprises seeking CX optimization.
• Service Design Design of services that enhance user experiences and deepen engagement at every interaction point. Service for financial services and enterprise clients.
• Web Design Development of intuitive and visually appealing web interfaces that elevate brand presence and offer seamless user experiences. Service for enterprises seeking digital presence.
• Brand Strategy Development of solid and impactful brand strategies aligned with organizational values and market positioning. Service for enterprises seeking brand transformation.
• Branding and Brand Identity Creation of distinctive brand identities including visual elements, tone of voice, and brand expression guidelines. Service for enterprises and government bodies.
• Usage Observation (Observations Obliques) In-situ anthropological observation method to identify unresolved customer needs and extract key insights beyond declarative statements. Service for enterprises seeking deep consumer understanding.
• Customer Journey Audit Mapping of customer journeys as experienced, combining field immersion, ethnology, behavioral data and strategic insight to identify action levers and competitive advantages. Service for enterprises seeking CX optimization.
• Consumer Testing (Zescore) Consumer testing services to validate concepts and strategies for impactful and successful product launches. Service for enterprises validating new product or marketing concepts.
• Design Sprint

Quantifiable outcome

• Hipli reusable package can be reused up to 100 times and avoid 25 kg of waste
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Chamatex GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2020Partnership with Chamatex Group for ASF 4.0 (Advanced Shoes Factory) project - a robotic factory for 100% Made in France shoe production. Zebra provided technical expertise, creative vision, and innovation methodology. €10 million investment creating 50 jobs, targeting 300,000 pairs annually by 2024.
• SalomoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2020Partner in ASF 4.0 factory project to produce 100% Made in France sports shoes. Expected to absorb half of factory's future production (10,000 pairs planned initially).
• BabolatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2020Partner in ASF 4.0 factory project. Long-standing innovation partner with 25+ years of design collaboration on tennis equipment and apparel.
• MilletcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2020Partner in ASF 4.0 factory project for outdoor mountain sports equipment production.
• SiemenscoreTechnology or Integration · 17 September 2020Technology partner in ASF 4.0 project with €1.5 million investment contribution for robotic factory automation and Industry 4.0 systems.
• Neofarming Ecosystem PartnersstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Initiative partnering with industry, universities, research institutions, and governmental bodies to create novel innovation ecosystems for reinventing agriculture in Africa. Partners include OCP, Attijariwafa bank, Saham group, AMDIE and African institutions.
• IoT Design Hub ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium with EURODECISION and Rtone at SIDO (leading IoT international showroom) providing expert advice and project guidance for connected objects and IoT projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dragon Rouge: Dragon Rouge is a French-founded global brand and design consultancy offering brand strategy, packaging, retail, and product design. Especially comparable as a French-headquartered peer competing for similar FMCG, luxury, and lifestyle clients in the same European market as Zebra.
• Pentagram: Pentagram is a multidisciplinary design firm offering branding, product, and communication design through a partnership model for major brands and organizations. Comparable to Zebra on creative identity, packaging, product, and visual design work for enterprise clients.
• IDEO: IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy that combines human-centered design, strategy, and prototyping to help enterprises develop new products, services, and brands. Directly comparable to Zebra in integrating anthropological research, design thinking, and innovation strategy for major clients across sectors.
• Lippincott: Lippincott is a brand strategy and design consultancy combining market research, brand positioning, and identity design. Comparable to Zebra on integrated brand strategy and innovation consulting for Fortune-class clients.
• Landor & Fitch: Landor & Fitch is a global branding and design consultancy delivering brand strategy, identity, and experience design for major international brands. Closely comparable to Zebra's branding, identity, and brand strategy practice serving enterprise clients across multiple sectors.
• Wolff Olins: Wolff Olins is a global brand consultancy that combines brand strategy, identity, and experience design for large enterprises. Directly comparable to Zebra's "Singularizing the Brand" practice and adjacent innovation and design engagements.
• frog (Capgemini Invent): frog is a design and innovation consultancy that operates at the intersection of strategy, design, and technology for global enterprises. Part of Capgemini Invent, it competes directly with Zebra on product design, brand strategy, and innovation engagements for multinational corporates.

Broad incumbents

• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): BCG is a global management consulting firm with a dedicated design, innovation, and digital build arm (BCG Platinion / BCG Design). A broad incumbent whose innovation and design practices overlap with Zebra's strategic consulting and innovation engagements.
• Designworks (BMW Group): Designworks is a global design consultancy owned by BMW Group offering brand, product, and experience design across multiple industries. A broad incumbent with comparable multi-sector reach and design + innovation capability.
• McKinsey & Company: McKinsey is a global management consulting firm with an established design practice (McKinsey Design) that competes for strategy, innovation, and experience design engagements. A broad incumbent offering overlapping strategy and innovation capabilities beyond Zebra's niche specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/groupe_zebra
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-hU-rtF5HaVREjpe45PjQg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-zebra
• Instagraminstagram.com/groupezebra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zebra Group