Promo codes are an integral part of the beauty industry, allowing customers to enjoy discounts and special offers on their favorite products. By enhancing the access and visibility of promo codes, we can significantly improve the shopping experience for customers and increase the Add to Bag conversion and Average Order Value (AOV) per order.
In my role as a senior designer, I led two squads that included junior designers and engineers. My primary responsibility was to ensure the timely delivery of project objectives while maintaining a focus on providing the best possible user experience. This involved collaborating closely with product managers and stakeholders to align with business objectives, conducting research activities involving Sephora members, and establishing a comprehensive set of design components that could be applied across various devices and pages.
What do we already know?
• From previous user interviews, ~83% users consider promo codes to be an important factor for making a Purchase Decision.
• However, only 4.6% of users discover promo codes before checkout on cart page.
• Some users discovered them through Email and Homepage.
~43% of these users have configured Listing & Product Details Pages as their landing pages
Objectives
These beauty and ecommerce competitors are accessed by analyzing their product strategy and user experience.
• Asos, Shopee, Lazada, Adore Beauty, Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic, David Jones, Tangs, Watsons, Shein, Hermo
Key Insights
1. Promo labels are prominently displayed next to the product price, drawing users attention to the best deal.
2. The Product Details Page showcases available promotions and dedicates a section that expands to provide comprehensive descriptions of each offer.
3. Competitors use a separate section in cart page to select available coupons or input promo codes. Ineligible coupons are disabled by default and shows the eligible criteria for users to take action on.
4. Choosing the "best" promos/coupons:
Competitors prioritize showing cost-saving promos/coupons first if they offer multiple options. Past research reveals that cost-saving promos/coupons are the most preferred by users, followed by GWPs and extra points, when it comes to ranking promotions.
Objective
A series of qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 users across different regions to understand their shopping habits through recall exercises. After synthesizing the interview data, key insights and hypothesis were identified.
Key Insights
1. Homepage: The initiation of the purchasing journey is prompted by the presence of discounts and sales incentives.
• 5 out of 11 users indicate that sales/discounts trigger them to shop:
“I wait for sales before making purchases”
“I look out for discounts which get me started on discovering products”
“I make the purchase elsewhere (Sephora) because of the discount"
2. Product Details Page: Empowering users to secure more favorable promotions when shopping at Sephora.
• 6 out of 11 users make price comparisons from Google search and brand sites, outside of Sephora.
• 5 out of 11 users indicate that sales/discounts trigger them to shop:
“Price may differ from source to source, so I have to be aware of it.”
“I really need to think about the price and how willing I am to spend it.”
“Not pleased that the minimum spend criteria is not upfront.
3. Shopping Cart: Sephora users are informed shoppers who appreciate having recommended and easily accessible promo codes.
• 7 out of 11 users looked for promo codes with 2 examples citing Beauty Perks (Homepage) as another touch point to discover more deals.
“I'll also check out VIEW ALL PROMO CODES to see I've redeemed everything available.”
• These users also want to be able to add promo codes easily:
“Helpful that I can view all promo codes, without the need to manually key in.”
“Helpful if there’s a recommendation for promo codes. I only get the codes from homepage and have to read through everything.”
User personas were crafted based on 3 key traits from the desk and foundational research insights.
• The initiation of the purchasing journey is prompted by the presence of discounts and sales incentives.
• Make price comparisons from Google search and brand sites, outside of Sephora.
• Informed shoppers who appreciate having recommended and easily accessible promo codes.
Persona 1: Discount-Driven Dana
Goals and Needs
• Find the best deals and discounts on her favorite beauty products.
• Easily compare prices to ensure she's getting the best value.
Behaviors
• Signs up for Sephora's email newsletters to receive alerts about ongoing sales.
• Visits price comparison websites to compare prices across different retailers.
Motivation
Discount-Driven Dana wants to indulge in her beauty and skincare routine without overspending. Finding great deals and making informed choices gives her a sense of satisfaction.
Persona 2: Savvy Samantha
Goals and Needs
• Make well-informed purchase decisions that align with her preferences and budget.
• Quickly access reliable promo codes that enhance her shopping savings.
Behaviors
• Reads reviews and watches tutorials to thoroughly understand the products she's interested in.
• Uses price comparison tools to ensure she's getting the best deal.
Motivation
Savvy Samantha enjoys the process of researching and finding the best deals. She feels accomplished when she manages to save money while purchasing products she loves.
The team initiated the ideation and design process, focusing on the cart page as it was identified as the area with the potential to deliver the most value to users, drawing from insights gained through interviews. Following this, the new designs were exposed to validation, ensuring their usability and effectiveness in addressing user needs.
To validate select and apply promo code flows on checkout page on Usabilityhub.
Participants
30 Sephora users from SG, MY and AU
Research Objectives, User Task and Insights
1. To validate if new feature is easy for users to find.
Task: Imagine that you’ve added all your items to your shopping bag and are ready to check out. You are curious to see if there are any promos that you can apply. Show us where you would click to find that information.
2. To validate if users can tell the difference between eligible and non-eligible promos.
Task: Imagine that you have tapped on the View all promo codes text link in your shopping bag and you see this following screen. How many (5, 3 or 2) promos are you eligible for?
3. To validate if “How much more to hit criteria” information is findable and easy to understand.
Task: For you to enjoy a 20% off your order, what would you need to do?
Summary
Users overall favor monetary discounts or GWPs when it comes to promotions and coupon codes. Free express shipping, Samples and loyalty points related promotions are less attractive.
Following user validation and with a mobile first approach, the design components implemented on the cart page became the guiding principles, serving as the "north star." These components were then adapted and extended across devices and key pages, including the Homepage, Listing, and Product Details pages, ensuring a cohesive and user-centric design approach throughout the entire user experience.
Date Range: 18th Jan - 21th Mar (9 weeks)
Countries considered: SG, MY, PH, AU, NZ, TH
1. Add to Bag Rate (Add to Bag CTA/Total number of cookies)
• Impressions with new feature: 391.08%
• Impressions Without new feature: 21.02%
2. Conversion Rate (Total orders placed/Total sessions)
• Impressions with new feature: 3.52%
• Impressions Without new feature: 0.70%
2. Revenue Figures
• Revenue Impact: €800k
The project has delivered tangible success and value to both users and the business.
Enhanced User Experience:
Users now enjoy effortless access to promo codes, enabling them to conveniently track and utilize discounts. This empowers them to make purchasing choices that resonate with their preferences and financial plans.
Empowered Purchase Decisions:
Considering the significance of pricing and discounts in online beauty product shopping, our feature equips users with the ability to comprehensively compare deals in one place. This consolidated approach facilitates informed decision-making and ensures they obtain the utmost value.
Future Recommendations:
To further elevate user engagement and satisfaction, we wanted to propose the implementation of a "Product and Price Comparison" tool. This innovative tool would enable users to dynamically assess and contrast prices of products they are interested in, all without navigating away from the site. This seamless integration aligns with our research insights to enhancing user convenience and enriching their shopping experience.
What were some of the challenges faced during the project and the lessons learned?
Over the course of a year-long project cycle involving various business stakeholders, product managers and dev squads, differing squad objectives and KPIs emerged, affecting overall user experience. Involving key decision makers early in the ideation process is crucial to establish better alignment and enhance overall project coherence.
Visual designer with a passion to create great experiences.