Merchants that complete their Shopify online store setup are more successful than those that do not. To encourage completing setup tasks, we created an incentives program that rewarded merchants for reaching key setup milestones.
My role: Content design lead, UX design partner.
The situation
Merchants sign up to get access to the Shopify platform and tools; from there, they can setup their online store and soon begin selling.
The complication
Many merchants that sign up never finish their store setup; others complete it partially, leaving out key tasks that might help them get their first sales. Those first few sales are strong indicators of long-term success, and therefore long-term commitment to a Shopify subscription plan.
The question
How can we help merchants complete their online store setup to ensure their success?
The answer
By providing them with task-based incentives that match their activity with useful and usable rewards.
This was a complicated endeavor, as it reached into the functionality of legacy systems, requires new user flows, and the analysis of past user behaviors.
The process
The project started with the team collaborating on a decision tree outlining all of the potential paths a merchant might take when setting up their store. We highlighted portions of the the journey where we could affect the most change, and determined which incentives might make the most sense.
Next, we iterated on where we might best put these incentives in front of merchants. The communications slate for new merchants is already stacked full, and the surfaces we could alter to tell them about the incentives were limited.
With that narrow scope, we set forth making small inroads where we could, often small-yet-smart additions in places where merchants already visit. This narrow scope gave each character and pixel even more weight than usual in an already-concise surface.
The work
Since we addressed a complete user flow from awareness through redemption, we designed for each touchpoint along the way.
The results
Even though the final output appears minor and subtle, it’s on track to have a considerable impact: an estimated gross profit of $12.7M over three years.
Numerous variations and different approaches led us to craft an experience that balances merchant attention, the constraints of the surfaces, and the priority that leadership placed on it.