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JCPenney partnered with Sephora and integrated them into their stores, including web space. In this project, I connected user accounts to allow users to collect Sephora Beauty Insider Rewards while shopping with JCPenney. The project led to a 15% spike in Sephora orders placed through JCPenney.

Overview

❏ Research and collaboration with development, business, and data teams to better understand the accounts system
❏  Hands-on Product Design
❏  Stakeholder Management
❏  Project Delivery
❏  Design to developer handover

My Role Across the Program

I led the integration of the Sephora Beauty Insider (BI) Rewards system into JCPenney.com. I worked closely with the Sephora BI Rewards Product Owner and designer to ensure the experience was implemented in accordance with Sephora brand standards and fit into JCPenney.com brand patterns.

EXPERIENCE STRATEGY & VISION

I created frameworks and prototypes to share and test the vision, design principles and content strategy. This helped to validate and evangelize ideas, gain alignment and drive decision making.

CUSTOMER INSIGHTS & IDEATION

I partnered with two project managers (JCPenney and Sephora), user testing team (JCPenney), and a designer (Sephora) to seamlessly integrate concepts into features that address customer behaviors and motivations.

PLANNING & SCOPE DEFINITION

I defined the product with my project manager partners. I worked closely with the User Testing team in short sprints. I evangelized customer goals and balanced business goals. I prioritized and negotiated features for launch and optimizations beyond.

OVERSIGHT & COORDINATION

I designed and paired with developers, Sephora visual designer and their PM partners to align product features goals and their implementation to the jcp.com platform context.

Challenge

This project was quite interesting as I was able to work with our partner vendor. I was able to become a subject matter expert in the inter-workings of the Sephora Rewards System. Working within both JCPenney and Sephora brand guidelines as well as creating a system that would make back end calls to both JCPenney and Sephora databases was as challenging as it was educational. 

Process

To begin my research I went to the Sephora section of the JCPenney store and interviewed a few customers.

Mary B., CA

"I prefer to get my Sephora products either in store or on the Sephora site. I have been a part of the Beauty Insider Rewards for years now and use it religiously. I enjoy being rewarded for my purchases and getting free samples of new products is exciting."

Morgan O., NY

“It is pretty frustrating that I can not receive the same shopping experience while buying Sephora items on JCPenney’s site… but I can use my BI card at the physical store here? Seems inconsistent and doesn’t make sense. I just end up ordering from the Sephora website”.

User Personas

User persona graphic. Leila, 52, teacher, Sephora Beauty Rewards member from Florida
User persona graphic. Shiella is a 36-year-old engineer from Dallas who is a Sephora Beauty Rewards member

IDEATION, PROTOTYPES AND TESTING

After gathering use cases, analyzing user personas, and learning the Sephora Beauty Insider account flow, I started brainstorming, prototyping, and testing potential solution flows. 

Use Cases

  • Existing BI Rewards Program member: sign in 

  • New customer: signing up for BI Rewards

  • Every user with a Sephora item is eligible for the 3 Free Samples

User flows

FLOW A

This flow injected the sample selection as an intermediate module users would be prompted with after adding a Sephora item to cart. Users could skip and be returned to the Product Page. Or add the three samples and taken to the cart where they were able to overview the added samples (edit/remove), see potential points earned for the item added and access their BI account. Upon accessing the account users were able to redeem their points. After redeeming points users were taken back to the cart.

user flow

User added Sephora product to bag. Prompted by 3 free samples promo. Adds sample. Taken to Shopping Cart. Able to access Beauty Rewards Account to sign in/sign up. After entering account user is able to redeem a reward item.

FLOW B

It was created to test whether users prefer interacting with the Samples and Sephora pre-checkout when adding the item to the cart. Users were enabled to add samples AND access their BI account from this module to access their points and redeem them immediately. This way, users had to put the least effort into finding the BI account access point. Upon completion of interaction with the BI module/account, they were returned to the Product Page, where they started their process.
This flow still enabled users to have access to the BI account through the cart if they chose to skip this step or wanted to make changes.

user+flow+a
flow+B
flow+b+mock

The user added a Sephora Item to Bag. Prompted with an option to add a free sample and then sign in/up to the Beauty Insider Account to redeem newly earned points. The user Selects a sample and selects to sign in/up. The user accesses the BI Dashboard to redeem the newly earned points.

A/B Designs Test Results

Flow A

Sample Engagement:  42%

Sign In/Up Engagement: 12%

Skip rate: 30%

Flow B

Sample Engagement: 63%

Sign In/Up Engagement: 46%

Skip Rate: 22%

KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Users showed high engagement with the samples in both flows A and B

  • Users engaged BI Account Sign in/up more in flow B

  • Users showed very low engagement in both, samples and account access through the cart route where samples and sign in/up are separated.

 
CONCLUSION
  • Keeping Samples and Sign In/Up together rather than breaking into two options to encourage engagement with both elements

  • To encourage user engagement with the Sign In/Up process change the order of Sample and Sign In/Up blocks

  • Present Sephora BI experience at checkout to avoid shopping flow interruption

Edge Case

After presenting the test results to the Sephora team I was notified of an additional use case that was intended to be added to the user flow.

Additional use case / point of access:

Beauty Insider number - a number located on the back of the Sephora BI card user get's when registering in the store. Users have limited access to their rewards using the BI number. User can earn the points and redeem them or see the point total they need to create an account on the Sephora site.

New User Flow

New User Flow

new+flow

At the point of checkout, users with a Sephora item in their cart are prompted with the Sephora Intermediate Page, where they can select 3 free samples and (if desired) earn BI Points. Users are enabled to Sign In BI account with existing credentials, Sign Up for a BI account, or enter their BI account using the BI #. Upon accessing the BI account, users who used BI# are prompted with an overview of their dashboard, earned points breakdown, and an ability to edit/add samples. All other users can view their BI account and point breakdown, edit/add samples, and redeem the points they have in their account for a reward. When users finish the BI account interaction, they are returned to the standard JCPenney checkout flow.

new user flow mockup

Existing User accessing their BI account Using BI#
As users have added a Sephora item to the bag, they are presented with an opportunity to select free samples. The user uses their BI account # and adds free samples. They are presented with a BI Dashboard where they can see what samples have been selected. The dashboard provides users with BI point information as well as options to change selected samples.

User+With+Existing+BI+Account

Existing User accessing their BI account Using BI#

As users have added a Sephora item to the bag, they are presented with an opportunity to redeem potential reward points (BI points) they have warned today. The user logs in to their BI account and adds free samples. They are presented with a BI Dashboard where they redeem their points for a product. The dashboard provides the user with a point breakdown as well as options to change the selected sample/reward.

user flow mockup for new user

New User creates a New BI Account
As users have added a Sephora item to the bag, they are presented with an opportunity to redeem potential reward points (BI points) they have warned today. The user created a BI account and added free samples. They are presented with a BI Dashboard where they redeem their points for a product. The dashboard provides the user with a point breakdown as well as options to change the selected sample/reward.

ENGAGEMENT TESTING

The live test of the New Flow was launched on 5% of customers who proceeded to check out with a Sephora item in their bag.

Existing BI Customer's Email log in: 41%
New BI Customers Sign Up: 23%
BI Number Customers: 2%

Key Takeaways

  • User Flow New showed higher engagement with the samples than Flow B

  • User Flow New showed sufficiently higher interaction with BI Account: Sign In/Up and BI# Interaction

  • BI# received very poor engagement

  • Present Sephora BI experience at checkout to avoid shopping flow interruption

Conclusion

Provide more information to users about BI # so users can know better where to locate the number. Find a way to be able to show the 3 Free Samples above the fold. Some users skipped the experience all together because overwhelmed by BI account access. Engaging users in Sephora BI Program at point of check out created more cohesive flow leading in higher conversion than other flows.

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