Design Strategist

Transition From Analog to Digital to Omnichannel

Future-proofing an E-commerce business through modernization of operations
National Pen was one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of promotional products with presence in 26 markets. However, it’s primary channel to market has been in the Mail-order business.

In 2017, it was acquired by Cimpress, a global mass customization company providing personalized products. Drawing on Cimpress’ vast resources, technological capabilities, and industry expertise, National Pen was motivated to build out their digital presence. They initiated an MVP of the e-commerce site for three markets: the UK, Ireland, and Australia.
E-commerce WebsiteCX DesignFuture_Proof FrameworkB2BCompetitive BenchmarkMarket ResearchUser ResearchVisual DesignCard Sort TestingWireframingInformation ArchitectureCustomer Journey Mapping

Challenge

Their annual market research spending exceeded $1 million, primarily supporting the Mail-Order business. Due to this significant investment, the CEO and stakeholders felt 'confident' they 'know their customers.' Consequently, irrelevant data and ill-informed knowledge drove the requirements, and unrealistic expectations of the MVP.

In addition, one of the patterns that emerged from stakeholder interviews was their outdated mental model of e-commerce shopping behavior. Proactive stakeholder management is essential to the success of this project.

Solution

Show not tell.

Demonstrated UX value early, frequently and consistently. I first tackled high-impact, low-effort UX activities. This approach provided quick insights into e-commerce customer needs, shifted the project's focus to the users, and helped gain trust and build consensus with stakeholders.

The website redesign addressed the top 3 biggest customer pain points and barriers within the sales funnel

Furthermore, I implemented a framework to future-proof the e-commerce business by modernizing the operational infrastructure, addressing the root cause that impedes sustained long-term e-commerce growth.

My Approach

As the sole UX member on the project, with limited resources and time, my strategy was to tackle the low-hanging fruit items first as a starting point to identify the ‘right’ user problems, starting with:

  • Secondary Research
  • Competitive Analysis
  • UX Heuristics Benchmark
  • Card Sort Testing
  • Customer Journey Mapping

Research

Secondary Research

In collaboration with the Business Intelligence (BI) and Customer Intelligence (CI) teams, synthesized and analyzed data of statistical models, Atlas Migration and RFM segmentation such as CLV (customer lifetime value).

Competitive Audit

UX Heuristics Benchmark

Card Sort Testing

I conducted a series of card sort tests, closed and open, to clarify navigation labels and simplify the grouping of categories of products.

The results prompted the business to reevaluate the inventory of the 80% of products that generated only 20% of the revenue, applying the Pareto Principle which highlights that a small proportion of products drive the majority of revenue.

Customer Journey Mapping

Led a workshop for the CEO and senior stakeholders, and from “their” POV, we composited a draft of the customer journey map.

 
3 pain points in the user journey on the website:

  • Product Selection
  • Product Customization
  • Checkout

Information Architecture

Simple Navigation

Flat Architecture

Mobile First

Mobile Navigation Structure 1
Mobile Navigation Structure 2

Design Exploration

Pain Point 1

Product Selection

The product selection process is daunting for the user to search through 300,000+ unique SKUs.

To improve the selection process, I focused on improvement of:

  1. Findability
  2. Discoverability
A widget that follows the user throughout the site to aid in product selection. Based on the user input, the result yields a set of products that meet their criteria.
Many customers in the European markets are small business owners looking for guidance on marketing and promotional ideas. This widget highlights future plans for expanding their digital ecosystem beyond just an e-commerce website.
Improve product discoverability by creating sub-categories based on the shopping analytics of other customers.
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Pain Point 2

Product Customization

With an alarming abandonment rate of over 80% at this stage, my objective was to eliminate this critical pain point.

  • For basic customizations, I’ve significantly reduced friction by implementing a simple and intuitive user interface.
  • For complex customizations, we introduced a new service that handles them for users, available for a nominal fee.

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Pain Point 3

Checkout

The new checkout flow is transparent and intuitive, divided into multiple steps with progressive disclosure. Given the customer demographic’s major concern for security, the iframe payment form has been integrated to enhance security and address this concern effectively.

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MVP Design

Future-Proof

E-commerce Mental Models

Existing Model
AARRR Funnel

MVP Outcomes

Initial MVP Goals

Focus On:

  • Findability
  • Feasibility

The e-commerce MVP discussion centered around technology. Leadership viewed the e-commerce channel, or the website, merely as a ‘digital’ form of the print catalog—a platform for customers to place orders. The prevailing thought with the stakeholders was, “If you build it, they will come.”

Revised MVP Goals

Focus On:

  • Findability + Discoverability
  • Feasibility + Desirability

The MVP’s outcome marked a significant advancement within the organization. Stakeholders developed greater empathy for their customers and began constructing a digital ecosystem to meet customers where they are and address their needs. This prompted a reassessment of their business across all channels and operational functions.

Resilient Growth

Next

Focus On:

  • Findability + Discoverability
  • Feasibility + Desirability 
  • Viability

 

Later

Focus On:

  • Findability + Discoverability
  • Feasibility + Desirability
  •  Viability + Resilience