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AS.

Revamping the Balsam Hill Shopping Experience

The Problem

The shopping cart is a key step in the journey to buying happiness, meant to reassure and inform customers. Balsam Hills' abandonment rate was through the roof, spotlighting the need for a more engaging and trust-inspiring cart experience.

The Background

Balsam Hill is a global, eCommerce retailer with roots in holiday and home décor. Creating joy with the help with the help of beautiful products and experiences that inspire meaningful moments with family and friends

 The Challenge

83% cart abandonment, a rise of 14.2% from last season, was discovered by the e-commerce team and UX was involved to understand the problem.


Our high-level goals were

  1.  increasing shopper trust and reassurance, ensuring the right purchase decision

  2. enhancing cart usability for a seamless shopping experience

  3.  addressing additional issues identified through UX research

My Role

I led the re-design of the cart experience between October 2021 and June 2022 and collaborated with the e-commerce team and product team. 
I worked alongside a product manager, an e-commerce strategist, and a UX Writer.

 

The Research

01 Data Analysis

Google Analytics revealed a 83% cart-to-checkout drop-off, and Crazy Egg data also highlighted excessive clicks on the coupon code area.

I surveyed potential customers to gain insights into shopper behavior, focusing on cart usage and coupon utilization. Findings revealed carts are often used to save favored products, and coupons not only encourage purchases but also serve as effective upselling tools

02 Survey

I engaged with the Customer Service team regarding cart or coupon-code issues, and 7% of calls involved difficulties finding coupons or seeking discounts.

03 Customer Service Data

Previous research indicated UI issues with the cart, specifically the coupon code's prominence acting as a distraction in the shopping journey

04 Research Insights

Deep Dive 

Understanding the Shoppers mindset

Lets say our shopper wants to buy an Artificial Christmas Tree from Balsam Hill, not just for decoration, but to create a magical Christmas that leaves every guest in awe of the tree and its festive adornments

The Shopper Journey to Cart

Discovery 

Shopper lacks trust in the choice of product added to cart 

This is a factor of three critical elements :​
 

  1.  Inconsistencies in the User Interface, lead to navigation confusion and unclear call-to-action for users.
     

  2. The distraction caused by elements, which can shift focus away from the seamless shopping experience
     

  3.  Absence of the ability to facilitate product comparison and reinforce purchase decisions.

How might we bolster shopper confidence in their selections to ensure a confident progression to checkout?

Design Opportunities

Pain point 01 

Inconsistencies in the User Interface, lead to navigation confusion and unclear call-to-action for users.

Opportunity 01

User Interface modifications to ensure clarity in next steps and maintain interface consistency

Optimize user engagement with promotional features,  ensuring a frictionless and intuitive shopping experience.

Opportunity 02

The distraction caused by elements, which can shift focus away from the seamless shopping experience

Pain point 02 

UX Research showed that shoppers used cart as a makeshift wishlist. This highlighted the need for a dedicated wishlist feature on our website.

Opportunity 03

Absence of the ability to facilitate product comparison and reinforce purchase decisions.

Pain point 03 

Solutioning for opportunity 01 and 02

 

User Interface modifications and Optimizing user engagement for promotional features

Before

Layout Explorations

Desktop

Desktop

1. Item Details Section

Mobile

Layout c.

Final Design

Mobile

Mobile

Layout b.

Layout a.

Desktop

Desktop

Mobile

Layout b.

2. Order Summary

Layout Explorations

Before

Final Design

3. Coupon Code 

Coupon code being too prominent was the valuable feedback that research showed. This was an important discovery that required some brainstorming and solutioning. 

Layout explorations

Final Design

The different Call to Actions (CTA) used in the cart highlighted the need to create a hierarchy for CTAs.

4. Call to Action Hierarchy  

I created a hierarchy for CTAs which was later implemented website wide.

The new improved cart design

Edge cases

1. Empty Cart

2.  Item in cart goes Out of Stock

3.  Item in cart is deleted

4. Price of the item in cart is changed

Impact

The enhancements implemented in our project yielded substantial results, as evidenced by a remarkable 7% reduction in cart abandonment and a notable increase in the average order value by $30, according to Google Analytics. These metrics underscore the project's success in elevating the user experience and boosting revenue efficiency on the e-commerce platform.

"UX Research showed that shoppers used cart as a makeshift wishlist. This highlighted the need for a dedicated wishlist feature on our website."

Opportunity 03 -

- Turned into another project
I took this opportunity to implement a Wishlist feature on our website which in turn boosted account creation and helped reduce cart abandonment.

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