Enhancing the Store Front experince: Strategic UX Research Insights
Timeline: Nov 2024 – March 2025 (5 months)
My Role: UX Researcher
Company: U.S Retail store
Role Location: U.S and India (serving U.S. market, conducting customer interviews with U.S. audiences)
Tools Used: Dscout, UserTesting.com, Google spreadsheet and Google slides
Background
Our initial assumption was that the issue stemmed from having a single, rigid customer path. We believed that by offering multiple journey options, we could create a more flexible and satisfying experience for all types of visitors.
The front-of-store experience at the telecom company was not meeting customer expectations. Customers faced several challenges during their visits:
- Confusing signage made it difficult to navigate the store.
- Overwhelming digital tools created frustration instead of support.
- Low adoption of digital transactions, as shoppers preferred avoiding the complexity.
- Unclear customer journeys led to difficulties for both customers and employees during interactions.
To address these issues, one of the key suggestions was to integrate the company’s mobile application into the in-store process. This integration could provide clearer guidance, simplify tasks, and create a smoother overall experience.
Assumptions to Hypothesis
Objectives
This research was exploratory in nature, aimed at informing the future state of the store entry experience through a variety of new use cases. The insights gathered serve as a foundation for reimagining and revamping the retail store experience in the near future.
Key Research Goals
Our overarching research goals focus on enhancing the retail shopper experience by delivering the right information, interactions, and experiences within the front-of-store environment.
This means:
- Using insights from shoppers’ mental models to design practical solutions that address pain points and uncover new opportunities.
- Creating intuitive navigation systems that make it easy for shoppers to find what they need.
- Implementing clear communication strategies for services and offerings.
- Ensuring all touchpoints work together seamlessly, contributing to a smooth and effortless journey.
Ultimately, the aim is to design a front-of-store experience that is not only functional but also engaging, personalized, and tailored to individual shopper preferences.
Research Journey
We used a two -phase, mixed methods approach to get a complete picture of the custoemr journey.
Phase 1: Before the visit
- We conducted a diary study with 25 customers over 3- 4 days. They used an online tool ‘Dscout’ to document their thoughts and preparations before a store visit.
- This gave us a peek into their minds, helping us understand their goals, feelings and what they did before they even left home.
- This asynchornus remote online study helped us understand tehir goals, frustrations and omnichannel experinces.
Phase 2: Inside the store
- We then went to four disfferent store locations and observied 24 shoppers.
- We used a few different methods:
Keystone Insight
Essentials of Store Front experience
We learned:
- Even with more signs and communication, many shoppers still felt overwhelmed and confused about where to go.
- Customers were missing out on digital tools that could make their lives easier.
- Existing outdoor signs were often unhelpful—or worse, they made the process more difficult.
Key Findings
Detailed Findings
Meeting the “Five Shopper Types” –
The research gave us some powerful insghts. The most significant finding was that there isnt just one type of customer. We discovered five distinct shopper types, each with tehir own needs:
Impact
To build a better experience for Everyone: –
These findings are a roadmap for improving teh front-of-store,. We now know that a ‘one-size’fits-all’ approach wont work. Instead, teh comapny can use this information to:
- Create different pathways tailored to each of the fiver shopper types
- Design clearer, more intutive signage that guides people instqead of confusing them.
- Better highlight and integrate digital tools, so customers can easily find and use them.
This reaseach provides a solid foundation for a future changes, ensuring that every customer, no matter their needs, has a positive and efficient exprince from the moment they arrive.
Thanks for reading!
Feel free to check out some of my other projects or if you have any questions about the research process for this study, feel free to contact me and I would be happy to go over in more detail!