MEC Search Platform Implementation
Role: Sr. Manager, Product & UX
The search experience on mec.ca is preventing wider usage and contribution to the business
Search is a significant driver of online revenue for MEC. Customers who use the search convert 3x higher than those who do not.
However, the percentage of customers who use search is very low. Additionally:
Poor user experience to search for and browse products
A slower than expected site speed when loading pages and products
Unreliability and poor partnership with current search partner
The Challenge
Identify and implement a replacement for the existing search and browse tool on mec.ca
Quantify the problem with data around the existing shopping experience
Finalize requirements for mec.ca
Research modern search and browse solutions
Goals
Increase search usage by 15-30%
Increase search and browse conversion rate
Increase AOV for both search and browse
Approach
1. Search Google Analytics Audit
We worked with our search partner to dig into the analytics and understand the current impact of search and browse.
Our key learnings were:
Search represents 40% of revenue, but only 17% of our audience.
Exit rates are above industry standard at 28%, indicating customers aren’t finding what they are looking for
Search relevance and speed issues seem to be preventing wider usage and conversion.
AOV is flat across search and browse which is indicative of an experience that could use more targeted levers such as product recommendations, personalization, and dynamic merchandising
2. Scope of work & Timeline
3. Workflow Analysis
The MEC website doesn’t just serve customers, but it also supports store staff, customer service reps, and many other internal staffers across the business.
With many changes coming to the site, we needed to understand existing workflows that would be impacted. We interviewed key stakeholders to create staff workflows
The output of this activity was a prioritized list of workflows such as:
Scan in-store product to start a web search
Look up product by SKU number
Link duplicate membership accounts
Verify member account
Reset member password
4. User Flows & Designs
Taking a mobile first approach, we documented all existing user flows to ensure no experiences were missed in the replatforming process. For each major flow, an audit was conducted using customer feedback and analytics to help determine any areas of improvement.
Redesign mec.ca in line with new brand
Global design changes should be lightweight to help meet deadlines
Reduce friction in checkout
Improve search & browse experience
Ensure site structure remains sound for accessibility and SEO
Results
The implementation of the new search platform resulted in a 73% increase in revenue ($1.2M) from the search segment in the first 3 weeks, coupled with a 30% increase in search usage and click-throughs, and 10% decrease in exit rate due to improved results relevancy.
Challenges
Previously, the MEC website required customers to create separate "membership" and "online account" credentials, which they then had to link either online or through customer service.
Our Assumption: We believed that combining the membership and login into a single account would simplify and improve the online experience.
Learnings: The concept of membership was deeply ingrained with our customers, and the change did not resonate as expected. Customers with in-store memberships but no online account struggled to log in or inadvertently created duplicate memberships.
I still believe it was the right direction, but with more research we could have found the right balance in the experience and messaging.