Problem statement
The demand of online food ordering and delivering has been skyrocketed since the pandemic hit the world. People are avoiding going to places with crowd gathering, and they are turning to ordering food from their cellphones at their home and office.
Hypothesis:
The business owner is looking to create an app to expand its business by offering online purchase for delivery order and pick-up order. To boost customers' loyalty, the business owner would also like to include a Instagram-like social sharing feature.
Problem:
Due to social distancing policies, to-go food ordering is become a necessity for many people. Major players such as Foodpanda and Deliveroo have dominated the online food order market. Lesser known restaurants have a hard time standing out from the crowded market, thus hard to build brand loyalty and recognition.
Business goals:
While still offering delivery services through the major platforms, this app aims to be the main hub for customers to get all the best benefits (such as exclusive deals) from ordering directly from the restaurant itself, therefore strengthening brand recognition and getting more opportunities to directly promote to customers.
Project statement
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted customer expectations in apparel retail towards omni-channel shopping, focusing on seamless, safe, and convenient experiences. ESPRIT faces the challenge of understanding and addressing the diverse needs of its target demographic while optimizing shopping experiences across various channels.
Decisions of which strategies we were going to tackle were already made prior to my involvement. With the company capability, the decision was made to focus on BOPIS, BORIS, ROTIS, in-store purchase and ship to home, and clientelling.
This study aims explain methods that we used to explore customer shopping journeys within different omni-channel strategies to enhance satisfaction, loyalty, and overall engagement in a changing retail landscape.
Feature requirements
Whilst designing the app from scratch, which means basic functions such as sign-up, sign-in, setting menu, etc. are included, two main features were required by the business owner—a full-fetched ordering use case, and an Instagram-like sharing feature for customer review use case. The intricacies of these use cases will be decided by me.
This case study will focus on the ordering process, since the Instagram-like sharing feature leaves little room for exploration.
Research and analysis
User Research
We began our research by interviewing and surveying 10 individuals from the US and Canada to gather shopper insights. Given our store's upcoming launch in California, we prioritized engaging participants from this region, successfully securing Californian respondents. While I have personal experience with California's shopping landscape, I am mindful not to let my biases influence our decision-making process in order to maintain an objective understanding of the issue.
The following are notable quotes from the research findings.
WSGN
Nordstrom
Nike
Decathlon
I like to go to the store and have a feel of the product before buying it.
I had a lot of returns due to the shipped products not meeting expectations.
The inconvenience of returning makes me not want to buy from the seller again.
Long online response time really annoys me.
I like that the store has in-store return, simply because online return is annoying, due to all the hassles I had to deal with, such as shipping labels.
Estimated shipping time are usually inaccurate and unpredictable.
Research and analysis
Secondary Research
In our user studies, we heavily relied on the insights gleaned from reports and forecasts regarding customer behavior and trends from WGSN. Our research predominantly centered around understanding our customers' pain points, behaviors, and needs. While trend forecasts were not our main focus, they provided valuable insights to help us anticipate market shifts.
When conducting competitor research, we selected Nordstrom as our primary benchmark because they operate within a similar market segment as ours, and have a highly developed omni-channel service. Additionally, Ralph Lauren, Nike, and Decathlon have established themselves with successful omni-channel strategies that we believe offer valuable lessons for our own development.
WSGN
Nordstrom
Nike
Decathlon
Primary Research
Interviews were done with the business owner who understand the business operation and their customers behavior, and random everyday people who make to-go orders through either phone call or apps.
Takeaways
From interview
Remark: these interviews were done during the pandemic, which might affect customers behavior towards to-go orders
They prefer to-go orders to avoid leaving the house/office
Delivery order is convenient
They get frustrated when apps "lie" about the ETA
To avoid crowd and avoid wait time
From business owner
Remark: delivery order has not been made available before this app was made
At peak hours, pick-up orders customers still form a long queue due to high number of ordes
Customers prefer sitting down to enjoy a cup of coffee
Interviews are conducted to find out. Here are the mutually common and exclusive key take-aways:
Common
Meeting people and/or joining events at unfamiliar/new places
Rely on landmarks for clues (e.g., next to a McDonald's)
Map app doesn't improve low sense of direction
Real world
Road signs are confusing
Map app doesn't improve low sense of direction
Find places of interest (e.g., restaurant, hotel, attractions)
Search is a primary function
Struggles to find destinations that are right next to them
ETA is important
Virtual world
Joining friends for events is one key reason why interviewees travel
Teleportation is usually preferred, but not always
Teleportation isn's always preferred. Enjoy walking to a place and looking at the surrounding places, socking up the scenery, experience what goes between two places (e.g., a chance to gain experience points)
Do not rely on road signs at all
Not a first-persona perspective
Predetermined Solutions
The strategies we were slated to pursue had already been determined before my colleague and I joined the project. By harnessing the company's capabilities, we had committed to prioritizing BOPIS, BORIS, ROTIS, in-store sales, ship-to-home services, and clienteling initiatives.
Feature requirements
Whilst designing the app from scratch, which means basic functions such as sign-up, sign-in, setting menu, etc. are included, two main features were required by the business owner—a full-fetched ordering use case, and an Instagram-like sharing feature for customer review use case. The intricacies of these use cases will be decided by me.
This case study will focus on the ordering process, since the Instagram-like sharing feature leaves little room for exploration.
Recognizing patterns
Through in-depth research on customer behavior, needs, and pain points, along with comprehensive user interviews, we methodically recorded our findings on memo notes, identifying patterns. These insights guided the creation of detailed personas, enabling us to tailor our strategies and design decisions to effectively address our users' specific needs.
Feature requirements
Whilst designing the app from scratch, which means basic functions such as sign-up, sign-in, setting menu, etc. are included, two main features were required by the business owner—a full-fetched ordering use case, and an Instagram-like sharing feature for customer review use case. The intricacies of these use cases will be decided by me.
This case study will focus on the ordering process, since the Instagram-like sharing feature leaves little room for exploration.
Design Artifacts
Personas
As ESPRIT sought to refresh its target demographic to appeal to a younger audience, our team delved into the preferences of Gen Z, Millennials, and Xennials (added later) in the US market. Through in-depth user interviews and thorough research into consumer needs, we developed personas to gain insights into user requirements, behaviors, and objectives.
Design Artifacts
Persona-Based Customer Journey Map
When exploring customer journeys for omni-channel services, we first create persona-based maps, offering detailed insights into customer behaviors, emotions, and motivations across touchpoints and channels. By mapping at this depth, we gain a comprehensive understanding to enhance interactions and deliver personalized, consistent experiences.
The following is one example:
Design Artifacts
Holistic Multi-Channel Journey Map
We also created comprehensive, higher-level holistic journey for a more effective visualization and comparison of different segments and their preferences. A holistic view enables us to identify common patterns, divergent paths, and key touchpoints that influence each segment's experience. Through this, we gained better understanding of diverse customer segments and their distinct preferences, pain points, behaviors, and needs.
Design Artifacts
Detailed Cross-Channel Customer Journey Map
In the detailed customer journey maps that explore various services, each step that a customer must take across all channels is meticulously examined to offer a comprehensive understanding of customer interactions. This in-depth analysis enables detailed analysis and optimization of every step of the overall journey, ultimately resulting in a more seamless and personalized experience for customers as they engage with the brand's services across a multitude of channels.
Design Artifacts
Mock-ups
Mock-ups of online interactions are designed to visually represent the user experience, enriching the understanding of customer engagements within the detailed customer journey maps. These mock-ups act as tangible depictions of online touchpoints, delivering a clear and intuitive visualization of the user experience journey.
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