Adine Elements: a tale of a small candle shop
Adine Elements is an e-commerce business, specialising in bespoke hand-poured candles made with natural ingredients. To learn more about my work at Adine Elements see here.
Problem Identification
64%
Bounce Rate
Investigation
Thorough user research and analytics revealed the following insights:
Users were overwhelmed by the vast selection of candles.
Difficulty in finding preferred scents due to traditional navigation structures (often organised by collections or candle types).
Frustration led to users abandoning the website quickly.
I explored Google Analytics statistics for Adine Element's website, and extracted a few helpful metrics such as: bounce rate, traffic sources, number of page visits per visitor, and visit length per visitor.
Adine Elements website had traffic arrive from various sources, most significant of which are paid ads, organic search, and social media. I analysed the bounce rate for each source separately and as a whole.
The website had a catalogue navigation menu based on available collections such as: Autumn, Winter, Awakening (Spring), Warmer Days (Summer), and Sunday collection. Through additional analysis of user behaviour on the website, I realised that users were searching for specific scents, for example roses.
Hypothesis
I hypothesised that by introducing a navigation menu centred around scent categories, users could quickly and intuitively locate their desired fragrances. This would improve the overall user experience and decrease the bounce rate.
The Task
Implementing a scent-focused navigation system
Design Solution
I designed a "Shop by scent" Navigation Menu -
The primary navigation menu was redesigned to highlight key scent categories such as:
Herbs & Spicy
Green & Light
Woody
Sweet
Floral
Going back to the example of a user interested in roses, the website would now immediately display an option to view all items under the "Floral" category.
Secondary Navigation: Traditional browsing options (by collection, candle type, etc.) were retained as secondary navigation.
Displayed here is an example of a user flow looking for candles using the newly added "Shop by scent" navigation menu.
Sniff Test
Methodology:
The original bounce rate was tracked for a period of 30 days prior to the navigation change.
After publishing the implementation of the new Shop by scent navigation, the bounce rate was monitored for the same duration.
The 'before' and 'after' average bounce rate and other metrics were compared to determine the impact of the change.
I collected these metrics using Google Analytics.
Smudge-proof Results
Quantitative Feedback
After implementing the Shop by scent navigation, there was a 12% decrease in the average bounce rate (down to 52%).
A 15% increase in the average time spent on the website, and a 14% increase in the average pages visited per session.
Qualitative Feedback
Users, through surveys and feedback, expressed that it was easier to find candles they were interested in.
Participants stated the new design felt more intuitive and enjoyable to use.
This chart tracks the average daily bounce rate across two distinct website configurations: the first 30 days without the "Shop by scent" menu, and the subsequent 30 days with it implemented. The data clearly reveals a decline in bounce rate after the introduction of the new menu, suggesting it helped users navigate the site more effectively.
Waxing Impact
Improved Bounce Rate
Reduced bounce rate to 52% indicated increased user engagement and a greater likelihood of customers staying on the website.
Enhanced Customer Satisfaction
The intuitive navigation helped customers find their desired scents more easily, contributing to a positive overall experience.
Sales Increase
Decreased bounce rate and increased website engagement directly correlate with a higher probability of conversions and sales. I observed an increase of sales following this change.
Conclusion
This case study showcases the success of understanding user pain points and applying data-driven design solutions. By addressing the core difficulty associated with scent discovery, the Shop by scent navigation implemented on Adine Elements significantly improved the user experience and website metrics.