Ceres Fair Food Trade is an organic grocery service based in Melbourne that is committed to sustainability and eco-friendliness. With a focus on ethics and values, Ceres has built a loyal customer base who shares their commitment to these core principles. At Ceres, customers can trust that their products are not only delicious but also aligned with their values of promoting a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Despite Ceres' success with in-person sales and foot traffic, their online delivery service is facing challenges. Analysis of website metrics reveals that customers are spending significant time browsing for food items, but ultimately abandoning their carts at checkout.

By understanding why customers are abandoning their carts and exploring ways to improve the purchasing process, Ceres hopes to optimise their online delivery service and offer a seamless shopping experience for all users.

DISCOVER & DEFINE

To determine why carts were being abandoned at the online checkout, a comprehensive research approach was taken, employing various techniques such as contextual analysis, field research, surveys, interviews, task analysis, site metric analysis and competitive analysis. These methods were implemented to gain a holistic understanding of the problem and to identify the root causes of cart abandonment.

The research revealed that users were highly interested in purchasing from Ceres and invested significant time in navigating the site to find their desired products. However, at the checkout stage, they were required to create a profile to proceed with their purchase, which proved to be a significant hurdle for many users. As a result, they often abandoned their carts, as the additional step of creating a profile was perceived as too time-consuming or intrusive.

To gain a deeper understanding of the key insights, personas were constructed, and user journeys were mapped out. These personas were designed to reflect the characteristics and behaviours of the target audience, allowing us to empathise with their experiences and perspectives. By mapping out the user journeys, we were able to identify pain points and areas where the user experience could be improved.

DESIGN & DEVELOP

With our persona in mind, we engaged in ideation to brainstorm possible solutions. This included a detailed analysis of the information architecture, the sequence of steps required to make a purchase, and alternative approaches to creating a profile. This approach enabled us to identify the most effective solutions and create a more streamlined and user-friendly checkout process that improved the overall user experience.

The iterative development of the solution was informed by a range of usability testing techniques, including tree jacking (card sorting), task analysis and contextual testing. These methods allowed us to test our design solutions at various stages, from low to high fidelity, and to refine them based on user feedback.

Our proposed solution consisted of three key components. These components were designed to address the key pain points identified through our research and testing, and to create a more streamlined and user-friendly checkout experience. By focusing on these three main components, we were able to simplify the checkout process and make it more efficient and intuitive for our users. The three components included:

1. Industry standard IA
   Site metrics analysis revealed that users were spending a considerable amount of time searching for items to purchase on the website. Through our tree jacking and competitor analysis, we discovered that a more intuitive and user-friendly ordering of the products could improve the browsing and searching experience for our users. By incorporating this insight into our redesign, we aimed to reduce the time and effort required for users to find and select the products they wanted.

2. Reorder sequence
   To simplify the checkout process, we redesigned the login and account creation process. Instead of requiring users to create an account or log in at the checkout, a pop-up prompt to login was introduced once an item had been placed in the cart. This prompt offered users three options: to create an account, log in to an existing account, or continue as a guest. By presenting users with these options at a more appropriate stage in the checkout process, we aimed to reduce friction and make the process more intuitive and user-friendly.

3. Guest checkout
   The addition of a guest checkout option addressed a key pain point identified through our research: the requirement to create an account during checkout. By giving users the option to complete their purchase without having to create an account, we aimed to reduce friction and remove a significant barrier to completing the purchase.