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Improving the Shopping Experience

OVERVIEW

I worked with a premium women’s fashion brand to make shopping process easier and more enjoyable for customers 32+. The project focused on addressing pain points in both online and in-store journeys and exploring opportunities for scaling to new audience segments.

CHALLENGE

  • Some users struggled to complete their purchases online.

  • Product pages didn’t show enough detail to help shoppers decide,  while there was too much irrelevant information, making the experience overwhelming.

  • Return and delivery policies felt confusing.

  • The brand’s tone of communication seemed too formal and distant.

PROCESS

  1. RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY

To understand what wasn’t working, I focused on learning directly from customers and analysing their journeys:

  • In-Depth Interviews: I spoke with 16 customers, including both current and potential customers. 

Key quotes:

“There’s so much text in small font—I’m not sure which option to choose.”

“This blazer looks amazing, but I can’t zoom in to check the texture or details… I hope to see how the edges are finished”

  • Customer Journey Mapping: I created step-by-step maps of how customers interacted with the website and in-store. This helped uncover where they faced difficulties, such as unclear return instructions and an overwhelming amount of product information.

CJM showing customer pain points and opportunities for improvement

  • Customer Journey Mapping: I created step-by-step maps of how customers interacted with the website and in-store. This helped uncover where they faced difficulties, such as unclear return instructions and an overwhelming amount of product information.

  • Personas:  I developed three personas to better understand and address the needs of different customer groups:

    • The Conscious Shopper: Prioritises quality and sustainability, but values simplicity.

    • The Creative Explorer: A new potential audience segment identified during research. Seeks unique pieces and inspiration, values strong visual storytelling and often face barriers in connecting with the brand’s formal communication style.

    • The Style Seeker: Needs help building confidence in their fashion choices.

  • Best Practices: I reviewed UX patterns and trends, focusing on how premium brands optimise navigation, product visuals, and customer communication. These ideas were tailored to fit the fashion brand’s unique positioning. 

2. PROTOTYPING AND TESTING

Using the insights, I helped design and test solutions to improve the customer experience:

• Prototypes:

• Product pages with zoomable brighter images and clearer descriptions.

• Easy-to-follow delivery and return instructions.

• Friendlier, more conversational tone for email, website and social media communication.

• Testing: Two rounds of usability testing showed that customers found the changes helpful, especially the improved visuals and step-by-step return instructions.

RESULTS

• Checkout completion rates increased by 7%.

• Email sign-ups grew by 14% after switching to a friendlier tone.

• Defining the “The Style Seeker” persona helped identify an opportunity to expand the brand’s growth

• Customers shared positive feedback on how much easier it felt to navigate the website.

KEY LEARNINGS

• Workshops and collaborative mapping sessions brought the team together and improved decision-making.

• Small changes, like clearer images and a warmer tone, significantly improved user trust and engagement.

Catalogue Simplification

Before

After