Minju Lee

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Minju

WORK

About

Minju

WORK

About

E-COMMERCE

WEB Design

CLIENT PROJECT

Optimizing E-commerce UX to Enhance Conversion and User Retention

Optimizing e-commerce UX to enhance conversion
and user retention for a premium footwear brand.

My Role

UX/UI Designer
Research · Web Design

Timeline

Feb – Mar 2024
3 weeks

Team

1 Marketing Manager
1 Designer

CLIENT

Base London

Overview

High bounce rates → optimized conversion

Base London, a premium men's footwear brand, struggled with a 68% bounce rate and 1.2% CTA click rate — well below industry averages. I redesigned the e-commerce experience to improve conversion and retention by optimizing CTAs, simplifying flows, and enhancing brand storytelling.

+30%

Projected CTA click-through increase

-25%

Expected bounce rate reduction

-20%

Scroll depth reduction before CTA

Problem

A disconnect between brand and customers

The website struggled to engage visitors, with most leaving without interaction. High bounce rates and low CTA engagement signaled a fundamental UX problem, not just a visual one.

68%

Bounce rate

vs. 40–55% industry average

1.2%

CTA click rate

vs. 2.5–3% industry average

How Might We

How might we enhance the user journey on the Base London website to create an engaging shopping experience that embodies the brand's values?

Research & Audit

Us vs. Them: missed engagement opportunities

We conducted stakeholder interviews, a heuristic audit of the website, and benchmarked against leading competitors to uncover where engagement was falling short.

Brand identity

"We want our brand to feel premium and distinctive."

→ Strengthen brand identity and create a premium feel

Product engagement

"We need to showcase what customers love."

→ Increase engagement by featuring best-selling products

Conversion

"Above all, we need to improve our conversion rates."

→ Optimize user journey to drive conversions

Criteria

Base London (Before)

Industry Best Practice

Gap

Bounce Rate

68%

40–55%

26% above average

CTA Click Rate

1.2%

2.5–3%

50% below average

Product Page Clarity

Inconsistent cards, no hierarchy

Standardized grid + filters

No comparison possible

Brand Storytelling

Generic copy, weak differentiation

Craftsmanship narrative + heritage

Missing value proposition

Mobile Experience

Desktop layout scaled down

Mobile-first responsive

Poor mobile conversion

Design Strategy

Translating audit insights into action

Based on our audit and stakeholder discussions, we identified three strategic focus areas that guided every design decision.

Navigation & CTA

Problem

Unclear user actions & low CTA engagement

→

Solution

Surfaced best-sellers and promotional items with optimized CTAs

1.2% → 1.6% CTA rate

Before

→

After

Brand Storytelling

Problem

Lack of product clarity & weak differentiation

→

Solution

Enhanced brand storytelling to communicate craftsmanship

Stronger premium feel

Before

→

After

Product Cards

Problem

Inconsistent product display across pages

→

Solution

Standardized product cards for easier comparison

Before

→

After

Navigation & CTA

Problem

Unclear user actions & low CTA engagement

→

Solution

Surfaced best-sellers and promotional items with optimized CTAs

1.2% → 1.6% CTA rate

Before

After

Brand Storytelling

Problem

Lack of product clarity & weak differentiation

→

Solution

Enhanced brand storytelling to communicate craftsmanship

Stronger premium feel

Before

After

Product Cards

Problem

Inconsistent product display across pages

→

Solution

Standardized product cards for easier comparison

Before

After

Projected Impact

Measurable improvements across the funnel

Based on usability testing and industry benchmarks, the redesign is projected to significantly improve key conversion metrics.

20–25%

Bounce rate reduction

30–40%

CTA click rate increase

~30%

Scroll depth reduction

Reflection

How this project changed how I design

Data reveals what users won't say

Usability data helped uncover pain points and refine assumptions around product discovery and bounce behavior, especially for mobile-first flows.

Designing with intent leads to results

Applying UX heuristics and prioritizing content hierarchy boosted clarity and minimized user friction, aligning with both user expectations and business goals.

Business goals and user needs can align

Design solutions that addressed usability also supported revenue drivers like promo visibility, category exploration, and conversion actions.

→

Areas for improvement

Integrate usability testing earlier in the process to uncover conversion barriers sooner. Set up post-launch metrics and dashboards for continuous optimization.

Minju

WORK

About