Project Overview

“Bethowen” is one of the leaders in pet supplies retail sales on the national market since 1993.

The Surf studio developed a modern e-commerce application for the pet shop. I designed the charity program section, several packs of lottie-animations, a new home screen, and a bunch of other features.

What’s on the background

Pet owners make decisions based on many factors: pet’s age and breed, breeder recommendations, specific health considerations.

Pet stores differ from other e-commerce segments.

Research

Several hypotheses have been validated during CustDev.

1. The audience has little brand attachment to the retail chain itself, instead connecting more with manufacturer brands;
2. Pet owners care more about contents than price;
3. Animal feed is purchased based on recommendations;
4. Package size matters — some owners sample new foods in small packs while others purchase bulk bags every 3 months;
5. Pet parents enjoy treating their pets to animal snacks;
6. Charity and shelter assistance could drive community building as well as audience digitization and retention improvemet.

The context and my impact.

I’ve been working on:

• Conversion Rate Optimization;
• Personalization;
• Charity program.

Main screen redesign

I conducted a Home Screen review with the product analyst assistance.

Several core issues were revealed.

• Irrational content hierarchy;
• Lack of personalization;
• Hidden “Favourites”;
• Overcomplicated access to Bethowen’s “Services”.

I brought the top-selling categories to the screen top for users to find their desired items as quick as possible.

I put “Favorites” on the main screen. Previously it was hidden in one of the Cart sections. Considering pet owners buy the same food extremely often, this makes reordering more convenient.

I added a carousel of “treats” for the animal type the user indicated during onboarding.

I consolidated all the Bethowen services into one section.

I included the abandoned cart reminder to decrease the abandonment rate.

Charity program

Selling charity goods in e-commerce apps accomplishes two goals simultaneously – it makes the process of aiding those in need easier for compassionate people and positively impacts the company’s brand image. In-app charity program helps build a strong community among users and increases buyer loyalty.

I designed a charity program for Bethowen app.

App users were allowed instantly send one of several prepared aid packages for cats or dogs to an animal shelter.

I added statistics on total donation volumes and a leaderboard of the most generous donors.

In addition to direct monetary aid, the user can learn more about pets in need of a new home. The program offers contacting the animal’s caretaker to discuss transferring the pet into caring new ownership.

Animations

I designed celebratory animations for the splash screen, pull-to-refresh loader, and loading screens.
4 sets total:

• Default,
• New Year’s,
• Defender of the Fatherland Day (national holiday in some former USSR countries),
• International Women’s Day.

Implementing the best e-commerce practices

Over several months, my team and I improved the user experience with searching the catalog, product pages, and checkout.

Implementing the Diginetica search engine to the Catalogue

Introducing a coupon program

I suggested adding catalog section shortcuts on product pages, in case the specific product didn’t suit the user but they’re looking for something similar.

Another conversion optimization example is adding a product photo gallery collected from buyer reviews.

What I learned

The audience’s strong demand for personalization is a key differentiator of the pet store compared to other e-coms. Purchasing a specific brand of food for a beloved pet with dietary needs is not the same as buying assorted items at a supermarket.

Not all standard e-commerce mechanics worked for the Bethowen app. For example, the “Sale” section on the home screen proved nearly useless.