Panelpop

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Project Summary

Market Research

After looking at how the pandemic has impacted small craft and gifting businesses we discovered that the market is predicted to grow by 3% between 2023 and 2027 due to a rising demand of seasonal trends and growing gifting culture. APAC is expected to have the highest growth rate of vendors by 39% in the sector globally, which will drive up competition dramatically over the forecasted period.

Competitive Analysis

By running a task analysis on finding information on customisable gifts, followed by how to make a purchase, we found the 5 direct competitors had far clearer product photography and product descriptions as well as superior ecommerce experiences compared to Panelpop. Despite the neglected online presence, Panelpop has been established the longest out of their closest competitors and has a loyal customer base who make repeat purchases.

Constraints

Panelpop has scaled back since the pandemic and now only has an online presence for customers. The owner, Tony, is currently running the business by himself and is time poor. He is currently outsourcing the management of his website to a digital marketing agency who he has been working with for the last 10 years. However, he is considering a self managed solution like Shopify as there hasn’t been a return on investment. Tony also asked us to work within the existing brand guidelines for this project.

User Interviews

After conducting 26 interviews, we discovered that customers need to build a strong understanding of a product through images, description and customer reviews before they decide to make a purchase online. We also found that customers are less likely to trust a brand if the website has a poor user experience or a difficult purchasing process, regardless of how much they might like a product.

User Journey

After mapping the stages of the purchasing journey we identified an opportunity for Panelpop to help new customers learn about the product and make a purchase online. By addressing the point after a customer has discovered the product and goes to the website to find out more, we can guide a customer through to making a purchase by simply giving them all the information they need to make a decision.

Problem Statement

New customers need to understand Panelpop’s product visually so that they can feel confident making a purchase. How might we help customers buy a product they haven’t seen before? How might we encourage customers to be fearless online shoppers?

Prototype

We created a hi-fidelity homepage and redesigned the information architecture which would visually introduce the customers to the brand and the product from the moment they visited the website. This solution is aligned with the client goal of making the purchasing journey easier for a customer as well as the customer goal of needing to understand the details of a product online before they make a purchase.

Usability Testing

We created a hi-fidelity homepage and redesigned the information architecture which would visually introduce the customers to the brand and the product from the moment they visited the website. This solution is aligned with the client goal of making the purchasing journey easier for a customer as well as the customer goal of needing to understand the details of a product online before they make a purchase.

UX Roadmap

Beyond our initial solution, the research gave us a clear action plan for Panelpop to execute over three stages. Firstly, we would address the complete redesign of the website so customers can understand the product and make an order. Secondly, we would look at ways we can increase traffic through marketing and SEO strategies. Once the website is optimised for customers and has increased traffic, we would look to increase online conversions by implementing a standardised ecommerce experience.

Reflection & Learnings

01. When conducting usability testing, document what the user does as well as what they say as they can often conflict.

02. Even if a solution is one screen, you can still break down the process into a task flow.

03. Creating a project timeline and identifying your daily deliverables is extremely beneficial to the overall team productivity and efficiency.

04. Spending time catching up with everyone in their lives is just as important as the work. Understanding each other builds team rapport and morale.

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Joshua Stevens