Allow customers to save favourites and searches within the My Account dashboard so they can access on multiple devices without losing them and in return improve conversion for Cazoo.
Saved favourites with social sign up
The problem
How do we allow our time-poor customers to have access to their car browsing history in the customer vehicle discovery period of between 4-7 weeks on average when searching for a used car?
The customer vehicle discovery period is between 4-7 weeks on average, with 80% of customers that buy a car from Cazoo having been observed on two or more devices. Of those who buy from us use 3/3.5 devices on average.
User research • Competitor analysis • Iterative UX design • Prototyping • Usability testing • UI design
Context
My role
Hypothesis
We know that users who favourite a car or a search are slightly more likely to convert than those that don’t. By offering these users access to an integrated, personalised account area, our assumption is that more users will want to sign up and we’ll be giving customers an easier, more connected experience between browsing and purchasing.
The current favouriting user journey was cookie based solely dependent on the device and browser that the customer was using. So, when the heart icon is clicked on a vehicle, it would save it temporarily.
I started by first looking at mapping the user flow for the current authentication method that used a link to sign in customers and not the most commonly used username and password, which had its own limitations.
Also it was essential to map all the entry points for favourites on the website, which could trigger sign-up on favouriting a vehicle. This enabled me to identify any customer pain points, all UX scenarios and problem areas in the sign up process.
The process
This insight was a great opportunity for CAZOO to use it to improve conversion by making the vehicles more accessible for customers, so they have better visibility on multiple devices. It was estimated that the Gross profit per unit could uplift by at-least £16.
Apart from the quantitative data, it was essential to understand the UX approach on favouriting products online. This article on medium explains Why “Favouriting” is an integral part of the ‘Browse and Shop’ Journey? Offering the ability to favourite products, gives users a reason to come back to your app/website with the intent to purchase.
The research
The problem discovery
Worked collaboratively with the core team to ideate on solutions and foresee any technical limitations.
I mapped. (see above) the below authentication methods as an improvement to using a verification link:
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Using a verification code to reduce friction
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Allow customers to also use their social account
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Allow customers to use their phone number
The user flow map for the current sign up journey helped identify the below:
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The live authentication method was using a verification link to sign in a customer which can cause friction in the favouriting journey due to multiple steps.
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A customer could only have a CAZOO online account, if they have bought a car with us, which is created at checkout.
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Currently my account dashboard doesn't surface the saved favourites and searches.
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The current technical setup doesn't support attaching a database to authenticate using a username and password, which requires more time and has cost implications.
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Returning customers will require to retrieve a verification link every time they favourite a car, which can result in a drop in favouriting and conversion.
Exploring authentication methods
The solution discovery
Competitor research and analysis
I wanted to also gauge how our competitors and other e-commerce websites were using authentication for saving favourites. I looked at ASOS, Cinch, Air BNB, Squarespace, booking.com, trip advisor and Webflow.
On investigating, I realised that most sites have a similar approach and a common UX flow, which is a pattern that users are aware of and expect to see. Therefore, keeping Nielsen's ten heuristic principles, it's essential we provide a solution that is recognised by users to reduce the cognitive load and is simple.
Iterative design approach
Using the mapped UX flow for authentication methods 1 & 2, I designed the user journey using the appropriate UI components and put it through usability testing.
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Favourited vehicles at several touchpoints triggered the sign-in / register UX flow that opened in a modal.
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Customers had the option to either sign in using a verification code or use one of their social accounts for quicker access.
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Once the customer had an account, the favourites were saved in my account to access later.
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Customers could stay logged in for up to 30 days.
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If the system recognised that the customer didn't have an existing account it would direct them to the register screen, otherwise log them in instantly.
User tested prototype
The solution - Usability testing results
It was important to run usability testing with a prototype in case there is unexpected friction or pain points. In the testing however, participants clearly understood that logging in will allow them to save their favourites potentially to access on another device. The user journey was as expected including the requested information and the benefits of creating an online account were recognised. Therefore, the testing was hugely successful and validated my design and UX approach.
The first iteration of saving favourites with the magic code authentication has been released, which had already seen an increase in conversion. These can now be viewed by customers on the My account dashboard which opens up a lot more opportunities for the business for returning customers.
The second iteration with customers being able to sign up using social login is being worked on engineers and planned to go live early 2024.
Success
metrics
Reported cases
since Sept 2023 launch
654
reduction in case handling time
-28%
Avg no of interactions per case reduced to
11
reduction in post sales cost per order
-£20
Kirti Devi Ram
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