OVERVIEW:

ABOUT COMPANY: 

Amazon is one of the global leaders in the E-Commerce space and it offers A-to-Z products under one roof.

MY ROLE:

Carried out secondary research, remotely conducted user interviews and user journey sessions with the target users, collaborated with a UX Consultant, Project Manager and UX Researcher, analyzed findings, prepared the final report and recommended high-priority design changes.

PROJECT BACKGROUND:

Lately, Amazon observed a consideration set of online buyers beyond its own platform who are buying from D2C (direct-to-costumer) apps, especially in the Mobile, personal care/beauty and fashion categories. This UX Research project was to understand why users are shifting from B2C (business-to-customer) to D2C platforms for their purchases. Through user interviews and user journey sessions we were able to tap into the shopping experience among users on the Amazon app Vs D2C apps, how Amazon can retain these customers, reasons the users get hooked to D2C space/apps, drivers to shop from D2C apps, what works/doesn’t work for D2C brand/apps, what do D2C apps offer that Amazon doesn't.

OBJECTIVES:

• Understanding the D2C ecosystem and how D2C platforms (actively and passively) engage their potential and current customers.

• Understanding profiles (mindset, lifestyles, attitudes) and shopping behaviors of D2C shoppers vis-a-vis shopping from online marketplaces.

• Decoding key triggers and barriers for initiation and continuation of shopping from D2C platforms (and identifying category-specific nuances for Beauty & Personal Care, Consumer Electronics and Fashion).

• Breaking down the D2C shopper journey experience to determine need states, need gaps, trust and comfort and the interplay with online marketplace shopping.

RESEARCH PROCESS:

1 - Secondary Research 

• I wanted to understand the D2C ecosystem and how D2C platforms (actively and passively) engage their potential and current customers on different D2C platforms. For that, I explored how they promote themselves, how they endorse influencers, discounts and other incentives to use D2C. 

• I also tapped into how D2C brands interact and engage with users on different social media platforms and built a sense of trust among them to continue shopping from their apps.

• I found different brands/types of categories constituting D2C apps, their marketing strategies, looked for new emerging categories and how our client can gain a competitive advantage over these D2C platforms. 

2 - User Interviews and User Journey Sessions

• After understanding the D2C ecosystem and gathering needed information about different D2C apps, I then moved forward to prepare our discussion guide and conducted 44 in-depth user interviews and user journey sessions on Google Meet to understand customer online shopping journey, D2C shopping experience, category interplay – determining the barriers for shopping from the Amazon app, the comparative experience between the Amazon app and D2C apps - determining triggers and barriers that translate into delighters as well as roadblocks in the overall experience. 

• This approach helped me to discover the needs that lead a consumer to shift from B2C to D2C apps, the need gaps or barriers for the D2C shopping experience, the impact that D2C shopping has on shopper's attitude towards online shopping from the Amazon app, etc.  

3 - Analysis and Reporting

• I collated all the data in the Excel sheet using the Voice In (speech-to-text) typing tool (Chrome extension for data entry), collaborated with a UX Consultant, a Project Manager and 3 UX Researchers and analyzed the data to identify the behavior patterns of users shopping from D2C apps and major reasons why they have more trust in D2C apps. 

• On the basis of our analysis, I then moved forward to prepare a final report in which I made high-priority design recommendations as to how Amazon can improve the UI on its platform and provide a more pleasing user experience.

KEY INSIGHTS:

• The marketplace has its own space in the minds of shoppers consideration set with its distinct benefits (convenience, value, etc.).

• As the customer’s shopping journey grows, they crave newer, more exciting experiences - a need that is met by D2C.

• D2C apps are high on emotional engagement, something that is lacking in the client's platform.

• Brand stores on the Amazon app hold great appeal - can cater to the need for excitement - but face awareness + discoverability issues.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• D2C on Amazon App: Need to drive visibility and awareness of existing branded storefronts.

• Brand Store Experience: Amazon has to replicate the D2C UI within its exclusive brand stores, i.e., give shoppers dedicated destinations within the app.

• Search Bar: Need an option to search for products within the branded storefronts to separate the experience from the rest of the app.

• Product Selection Page: Modify search results to showcase the most relevant products before making alternate recommendations.

• Personalization: Amazon needs to create an ‘Indulgence Corner’ for shoppers (e.g., Every Week Sale) for a more indulgent/premium experience.

• Loyalty Rewards: Create a hook for customers to engage in repeat purchases within the same category (depending on lifecycle).

KEY LEARNINGS FOR ME:

• Don't shy away from collaboration (I realized that collaboration brings more new perspectives).

• Maintain transparency within the team (It helped me understand team constraints and make better decisions).

• Visual aspects of the design can influence decisions (Psychology of fonts/shapes/colors, etc., plays an important role in influencing buying decisions).