Varle.lt e-commerce overhaul - Eduardas Funka Portfolio

Varle.lt e-commerce overhaul

Overview

The "Varle" team had been planning to rebuild a website for some time. During the discovery phase, they gathered data about brand messaging and the website’s current pain points. They also performed research on what was working for their competitors and retail business in general. This was helpful because it meant we had lots of data and great ideas with which to start.

My role

My job was to organize various ideas and customer pains around the main concept: the revised mission statement. Once complete, I would present this to all stakeholders. I was also tasked with building a strategy and project roadmap, implementing that strategy, and designing a prototype we could test with real users. Finally, I needed to update the brand guidelines and deliver the new project files to the development team.

Challenges

Users knew that the client could offer them amazing deals, but they didn’t trust the second part of the brand message: that "Varle" would give quality advice.
Users primarily thought of the "Varle" website as an electronics store.
Mobile sales were very low and not growing at the same rate as desktop sales.
The website was very slow. They had to launch a new, faster version before Christmas (roughly 6 months).
Low impulsive buying
Low advertising effectiveness
Users often confused “reviews” with “support”

Mission

Build a trustworthy mobile first shopping experience that shows full scope of goods and runs super-fast.

Strategy

Focus on the slowest pages, which are also the most painful to the audience
Soft launch tech when speed is improved.
Focus on mobile first.
Ensure the new UI design is more approachable and communicates trust.
Display a wide variety of goods
Implement UX suggestions from Baymard institute Users knew that the client could offer them amazing deals, but they didn’t trust the second part of the brand message: that Varle would give quality advice.
Build a working prototype and test all ideas before developing
Build a window shopping experience
Implement better target advertising
Create a clearly identifiable support section
Build a window shopping experience
Implement better target advertising

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Execution

Communicate trust

To better communicate trust, we introduced new brand colors and some warm, friendly illustrations. This would better reflect the true shop purpose: "local sellers under one friendly roof.”

Display Wider Product Variety

To help showcase a wider variety of goods, we added large menu icons inside the hero banner. We also color-coded the menus categories with new warm colors now electronics just one category of many.

Boost the Slowest Page

Research showed that the list and filtering page generated the most waiting time for customers, so we launched that first. We optimized the filtering experience for mobile devices. Lots of Baymard institute guidelines were implemented during this process.

Increase Product Page Conversion

Product page conversion rate increased 12%

Window shopping experience

To improve the window shopping experience, the main page not only shows discounted items and those that generate the most sales. We also added new arrivals, seasonal categories for various groups, and items targeting males, females, families, singles, and children. Now Varle's sellers have window to decorate with various goods they sell. However, this is just the first step for windows shopping experience.

Redesign the Desktop

We eventually incorporated all the enhancements from the mobile version into the desktop version. It is now more responsive and also easier to use.

Results

20% increase in revenue post-COVID compared to the COVID months! People love new website, varle.lt was nominated most loved e-comerce in 2023, 2024