How I Designed the Wishlist Experience to Boost E-Commerce Sales
“In this case study, I’ll show you how I changed the shopping experience that encourages collaboration and helps increase sales in e-commerce."
A dominant Indian e-commerce platform boasting over 120 million monthly active users, primarily targets budget-conscious value shoppers. This user base includes a significant demographic of young, tech-savvy individuals, with a skew towards men (approximately 60% of the user base).
It was found through analysis that users have been spending time on the app, creating wishlists, but the drop rate was high.
I started with Identifying the problem with funnel tests
Conducted funnel tests to understand user behavior throughout the shopping journey. The funnel analysis revealed the following insights:
High Abandonment Rates: Many users were adding items to their cart but failing to complete the purchase.
Wishlist Conversion Challenges: Many users added items to their wishlists but failed to convert those selections into actual orders, highlighting a disconnect between initial interest and final purchase decisions.
Extended Browsing Times: Users spent an average of 15 minutes browsing without making a decision, suggesting they were overwhelmed by choices and unable to find the right products.
Low Engagement with Recommendations: Although the recommendation feature was there, engagement rates were lower than expected, indicating that users did not find these suggestions relevant or helpful.
Looking at the existing screens….
So with the help of the primary research, it was found why the drop rates were so high?
Information Overload: The platforms offer a vast selection of products, leading to overwhelming choices and difficulty in narrowing down options.
Analysis Paralysis: Consumers become paralyzed by indecision due to the sheer volume of information and product complexity, hindering purchase completion.
Lack of Confidence: Difficulty in making informed decisions due to limited product information, lack of social proof, or cumbersome comparison tools can lead to cart abandonment.
“How might we ease the decision making process of the consumers of an e-commerce platform to increase the sales?”
And what will define our win?
Our goal is to empower every customer to make confident purchase decisions by eliminating confusion and hesitation. Customers feel informed and assured, leading to more sales conversions.
To be more certain of the solution, I began exploring possibilities to form a strong base.
I held a discovery workshop with product & technical team to brainstorm for the different possibilities and accordingly strategize to choose the final onne.
Performed guerilla tests to validate the barriers and finalize the possibility
For each of the strategic possibilities you've outlined, here are some potential guerrilla tests that could be conducted, along with the evidence that were collected.
Possibility 1: Implement a dedicated "Share Wishlist" feature
Guerrilla Test:
1. Conduct user interviews or focus group discussions with a sample of existing platform users.
2. Show them low-fidelity mockups or wireframes of the proposed "Share Wishlist" feature.
3. Gather feedback on their interest, perceived value, and likelihood of using such a feature.
4. Observe their reactions and capture any additional pain points or use cases they might have.
Evidence Collected:
- User feedback and sentiment towards the "Share Wishlist" feature
- Potential use cases and scenarios where users would find the feature valuable
- Insights into the willingness to share wishlists with others
- Identification of potential barriers or concerns regarding the feature
Possibility 2: Introduce in-platform collaboration tools
Guerrilla Test:
1. Set up a temporary collaboration space or forum within the existing platform.
2. Invite a subset of active users to participate in the collaboration space.
3. Encourage them to share their wishlists and engage in discussions or comments with others.
4. Observe the level of engagement, collaboration, and interactions around shared wishlists.
5. Conduct surveys or follow-up interviews to gather feedback on the experience.
Evidence Collected:
- Participation and engagement levels in the temporary collaboration space
- User feedback on the perceived value and usefulness of collaborative features
- Insights into the willingness to collaborate and comment on shared wishlists
- Identification of potential barriers or concerns regarding collaboration tools
Possibility 3: Offer personalized shopping assistance
Guerrilla Test:
1. Develop a basic prototype or simulation of personalized shopping assistance powered by AI.
2. Recruit a sample of users to participate in a shopping experience with the personalized assistance.
3. Observe their interactions, reactions, and decision-making process with the AI-generated recommendations.
4. Conduct post-experience surveys or interviews to gather feedback and measure satisfaction.
Evidence Collected:
- User feedback and sentiment towards the personalized shopping assistance
- Observations on the level of trust and acceptance of AI-generated recommendations
- Insights into the perceived value and usefulness of personalized assistance
- Identification of potential barriers or concerns regarding AI intervention in the shopping process
- Metrics on decision-making efficiency or conversion rates with personalized assistance
The hurdle was clear: existing wishlist functionality confined users to a solitary experience, making it an arduous task to collaborate and seek input from others.
Why should users have to jump through hoops just to get a second opinion?
“Most of the app works. The recent redesign for wishlists is exceptionally devastating though. I cannot read or easily organize the names of the lists anymore. For whom is this a good idea?”
“The most recent update removes the ability to share a listing by copying the link; your only options are major social media apps. Sort of counterproductive to limit the ways you can share a product.”
“Why is it so f-ing difficult to share your lists. Trying to give family members gift ideas for my children is frustrating. It seems like they take away great features all of the time, like the mp3 wish list too! You don't want business or what?”
“Every update is worse than the previous. You now can't share an item that you found on their app. I'm having to screenshot every item with my mother on Christmas items and then she has to Google them, instead of me sending her the actual link so she can purchase.REALLY AGGRAVATING, READY TO SHOP ELSEWHERE. And the search still brings up unnecessary items that have nothing to do with what I searched for. THERE'S ALSO NO WAY TO NARROW SEARCH ITEMS.”
User feedback was consistently highlighting the frustration with the wishlist feature
“Point 1 that has bothered me since the latest update: Access to the lists has been massively worsened. You no longer see all available lists clearly, but rather products from different lists and access to shared lists is completely gone. Point 2 is an absolute disaster: I have to share the individual items to get the peer reviews and the app crashes. It just keeps happening!”
“LINKING ACCOUNTS SO YOU CAN SHARE SHOPPING LISTS SHOULD NOT BE SO FREAKING DIFFICULT! MAKE LIFE SIMPLER?!?”
Why user would be in situations to share wishlist?
Scenario 1: Birthday Surprise for a Friend
Sara creates a wishlist for her friend's birthday, curates products across categories, and adds them to the list.
She shares the wishlist directly on social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) or sends it privately to friends through messages.
Friends view the wishlist, browse items, and suggest additional options through the social media platform (if applicable).
Friends can directly contribute to the wishlist or simply make individual purchases based on the shared list.
Maybe, a group buy function within the wishlist allows friends to split the cost of a more expensive gift.
Scenario 2: Outfit Coordination for a trip
Aisha creates a wishlist for her trip, strategically sharing it on social media with tagged brands. This ignites a spark.
Aisha's influencer friend shares the wishlist, reaching vacation planners.
Social media buzz leads to purchases and user-generated content (photos) featuring app items.
Positive reviews and user-generated content further fuel sales.
Aisha's wishlist becomes a surprise marketing tool, boosting sales through social media reach and user-generated content.
Discovery Phase
Talking about about it on the splash screens during new user onboarding
I decided to have will be three level touchpoints
Getting it on the home screen to catch existing users attention
Not really sure about this! :/
2. Decision-Making Phase
User notices a banner or prompt encouraging them to share their wishlist for feedback or gift suggestions.
3. Purchase Phase
Highlighting the votes by family and friends and social validation is a real thing!
Gentle reminders to the users in cart before they checkout. This can potentially lead to improve the cart value.
Otherwise, users have been heavily relying on third party applications to share the wishlists
Wishlink might not be ideal. Here's why:
Sharing Workflow Issues: Many users found it annoying to switch to Wishlink just to share their wishlist. It’s much easier to share directly in the e-commerce app, which keeps everything simple and convenient.
Concerns About Data Privacy: A lot of people worry about how their data is shared. In fact, a 2022 survey showed that 72% of internet users are uneasy about companies sharing their information. By keeping wishlist sharing within the app, users don’t have to worry about sharing their data with another platform.
Limited Features: Wishlink and similar apps might not have all the features that fit the e-commerce platform’s wishlist perfectly. An in-app solution allows for better integration with product details, reviews, and even social features like chatting or commenting right in the wishlist.
The biggest competitor of this app was not having the wishlist sharing feature. The capabilities were found to be same.
What were the competitors upto?
Learnings were drawn to inform the design of the app’s wishlist sharing features.
Amazon had complicated the functionality a lot. The usability was not simple. Users were invited to come to the wishlist, and share their thoughts on it. Creating and maintaining the lists seemed to be a big task.
There was a lot to take from the Flipkart’s wishlist sharing feature. The share settings option went for a long discussion with the Product managers.
There is nothing better than, understanding user better!
Why do people like to make and keep wishlists?
How do users imagine sharing their lists easily with others?
What key features do we need to make sharing and working on wishlists together really great?
Getting onto how the user will be actually using it, was simple….
Keeping it low-fi to get hang of the flow better
Let’s look at the designs!
The user can enter through any of the touchpoints for the wishlist access
Here the user is intrigued by the new feature of sharing wishlist, and wants to try that.
Starts with selecting the items that needs to be shared. (This is important as not everything is to be shared) ;)
It’s received by the friend in the chosen option.
As the friend did not have the app, it opens up in the browser. Without mandating the need to downloading the app.
Once the selections are made, user proceeds
Since, this user isn’t onboarded yet. Here is a chance of getting one now!
The preview just makes the user comfortable by making it sure what will be shared. It’s a comforting feeling.
And there it goes, meanwhile the user waits for the reveal.
Here is the reveal of the votes, which improves the decision making backed up by the social validation.
These were the points to focus on after the design critique session
Clarity and Shareability:
Does the wishlist visually communicate its purpose as a shareable list?
Are the sharing buttons prominent and easy to locate?
Does the share function seamlessly integrate with popular third-party communication apps?
Feedback Integration:
Can users easily copy or reference wishlist items for discussion within third-party apps?
Is there a clear way for users to indicate chosen or purchased items on the wishlist itself, even if feedback comes from external channels?
Information Hierarchy:
Is the wishlist information (product names, images, prices) presented clearly and concisely for easy viewing and discussion in external apps?
Does the prioritization of visual elements encourage quick product identification and decision-making for those receiving the wishlist?
It was projected to increase user adoption in collaborative wishlist creation
This metric indicates user interest in the new features and their willingness to engage in collaborative shopping within 3 months of launch.
Great improvement in user satisfaction scores
This metric will be measured through surveys and will reflects user perception of the value and enjoyment derived from the collaborative shopping features.
~15% growth in the average time spent on the app per user session
This suggests that collaborative features are keeping users engaged for longer periods (around 6 months of post launch)
Sales Impact- Increase in the average order value for users who participate in collaborative wishlists within 1 year
This suggests that collaborative features are leading to higher spending per purchase.
How all this was certain to make an impact!
My learnings throughout
Remote Collaboration: This was my first experience with the UX process in a fully remote environment. It highlighted the importance of collaborative frameworks and effective asynchronous communication.
New Feature Exploration: The challenge focused on building a feature to introduce a new direction in the e-commerce app's wishlist sharing capability. This required me to push boundaries and think creatively about how users could share and collaborate on wishlists within the platform.
Design Consistency: Collaboration offered valuable insights into maintaining consistency with the e-commerce app's established design language for wishlist sharing. This ensured a familiar and intuitive experience for users accustomed to the app's existing wishlist functionality.