Case Study 2 — Re-imagining the IKEA Australia ecommerce experience
The challenge
Our second UX brief at General Assembly challenged us to align the IKEA ecommerce experience more closely with its globally familiar in-store experience. In order to do this we needed to understand what users love about the IKEA brand, enjoyed during their in-store experience, expected from an IKEA website and to address their online delivery issues…
A big thanks to my incredible team mates Jeremy Ku and Shereena Roslan.
Competitor analysis
Who could we learn from? Competitors come in all shapes and sizes… we wanted to examine direct category competitors in home and lifestyle, as well as ecommerce giants with inventory that matched or exceeded IKEAs.
In-store observations
Key observations from our time in IKEA Richmond…
- Customers value the touch and feel of products
- People like to see products in person to judge scale and imagine context of use
- Mixing and matching products is half the fun
- The entrance hall showroom is a big draw card: shopping ideas for the day or perhaps the future. It stimulates people at the start of their IKEA journey.
- The store’s classic IKEA navigation gives people a very clear (almost inflexible) journey path
Contextual inquiries and interviews
We learnt quickly that IKEA in Victoria doesn’t offer home delivery from its ecommerce platform.
“I’m surprised the Bedrooms tab doesn’t have chairs”
“I don’t even own a tape measure”
“I would love the website to reflect their in-store done-up showroom and have the option to buy the same products online.”
Problem Statement: Shoppers need a way to browse, locate and purchase more intuitively because the current IKEA website offers too many redundant pathways.
Hypothesis: We believe that by offering mutually exclusive pathways and more engaging and interactive inspiration for shoppers we will achieve more pleasant online experiences.
We will know this to be true when shopping abandon rates reduce.
Information architecture
IKEA has 24 ‘function’ based product groupings, and hundreds of sub-categories within these groups. The reality is however, that these product groups overlap. It’s not difficult to understand why website browsers struggle to surmise where to look for a lamp, chair, light or bedframe…
Through an intense collaborative session, we created 16 new categories, with zero product overlap between them.
User flows
Our simplified IA led to a more simple way to navigate through the IKEA website:
Prototyping
1. A simplified way to search for products, and filter options
We wanted users to be able to find products quickly and get a more realistic idea of their scale and usability.
2. An efficient checkout process, including home delivery and assembly options, and confirmation
Based on user testing feedback, we also added a confirmation page to reassure customers their purchase was successful. We also wanted to prompt users to review their online shopping experience, in a visual way that aligned with in-store review prompts.
3. ‘IKEA:inspire’ — catering for those who love the in-store IKEA showroom, want this experience online, and want it to be shoppable
4. Your account: motivation to keep coming back to be inspired, add to your wishlist, and ultimately purchase
Product Roadmap
2019: We observed how much people like shopping together… Shareable Inspiration boards (Pinterest-esque) and shareable product wishlists are high on the agenda.
2020: Incentivise reviews and account membership with store credit.
