Macy's Inc

Elevating an iconic brand

Directing a full site rebrand for Macy's and Bloomingdales in 6 months. Scope: Responsible for add to bag, bag, checkout, confirmation, payment, login, signup, account, loyalty & credit and omni delivery & fulfillment.

Manager2021
Elevating an iconic brand

Overview

The Digital User Experience team at Macy's Inc underwent a rapid expansion, growing from 3 to 35 members within a year. This swift growth highlighted a pressing need for refinement and development. While a foundational structure has been established, the team is now poised for a phase of maturity and evolution.

In response to the dynamic landscape of e-commerce and the evolving preferences of modern consumers, Macy's embarked on a transformative journey to redefine and elevate its online experience. Recognizing the need to cater to the expectations of a digitally savvy audience, particularly those under the age of 60, Macy's has undertaken a comprehensive redesign initiative. This strategic overhaul is centered on enhancing the user interface, optimizing navigation, and integrating cutting-edge design elements to create an immersive and seamless online shopping experience. By prioritizing the needs and preferences of a younger demographic, Macy's aims not only to meet but exceed the expectations of its tech-savvy customers, fostering a digital environment that reflects the brand's commitment to innovation, style, and customer-centricity.

Problem Statement:

Macy's faces a critical challenge in the form of a clunky and outdated website coupled with a limited responsiveness that significantly hampers the user experience, especially among the technologically adept generation. The current website design not only exhibits signs of aging but also fails to provide a seamless and intuitive navigation experience. Furthermore, the inadequacies of the Macy's app contribute to a subpar mobile experience, further alienating a user demographic increasingly reliant on mobile platforms for their shopping needs. This persistent technological lag undermines the trust of a digitally literate generation, eroding confidence in Macy's ability to deliver a modern and reliable online shopping experience. As users, particularly those under 60, seek convenience, speed, and responsiveness in their online interactions, Macy's is at risk of losing their loyalty and engagement due to these technological shortcomings. Addressing these issues is imperative for Macy's to not only stay competitive in the digital retail landscape but also to rebuild trust and resonate with a tech-savvy audience.

Challenges:

Timeline

  • Lack of comprehensive audit of existing site
  • No working files for current experience
  • Deadline of 6 months for full e2e redesign of responsive site and app

Stakeholder management

  • Working across two brand teams (Bloomingdales & Macys)
  • Designing while design systems team are creating components

Technical limitations

  • Old outdated coding languages causes challenges in quality
  • Lack of QA team makes testing manual and additional burden to design team

Process

Discover

Macy's initiated the redesign with an agency crafting a visually compelling brand focus for the under-60 demographic. After the agency set the design direction, our internal team rigorously pressure-tested the proposed changes. This involved a thorough end-to-end experience audit to align designs with real-world scenarios and user expectations. Through collaboration, we ensured the changes not only matched initial discovery findings but also withstood rigorous scrutiny, resulting in a refined, user-centric final product.

Iteration & deliver

After conducting a comprehensive audit of the end-to-end user experience and collaborating closely with the engineering team to gain insights into technical limitations, we pinpointed significant concerns. This prompted an in-depth redesign session, where we delved into refining design systems and branding strategies. This collaborative effort was crucial in addressing the identified challenges, ensuring a more cohesive and effective integration of design and technology for an enhanced overall user experience.

Timeline

  • (1 week) Audit
  • (2 weeks) hero screens for desktop
  • (1 week) collaboration with systems, engineering and branding
  • (2 weeks) hero screens for app
  • (3 weeks) E2E app testing
  • App launch
  • (2 weeks) all screens for desktop
  • (1 week) all screens for tablet & mobile
  • (2 weeks) a/b testing bag
  • (2 weeks) a/b testing checkout
  • Full site launch

Outcome

A/B test showed flat to minor decreases to ROI which was to be expected at first launch due to change in some behaviors with 60+ yr old customer base. After a few months of launch we saw positive press and financial impact.

Strategic change

Introducing marketplace

Partnering with JP Morgan, my transaction team (payment, bag, checkout and post purchase) we supported the financial transaction, legal requirements and iterations.

Macy’s + Toys R Us

In the summer of 2021, WHP and Macy's initiated a collaboration to retail Toys R Us products online, with Macy's spearheading the fulfillment process. Given my role as the team lead for Macy's website fulfillment, I played a pivotal role in supporting and ensuring the seamless execution of this venture. The partnership also unveiled intentions to introduce Toys R Us shops within Macy's stores in anticipation of the 2022 holiday season.

Press

Press

Positive outcomes after redesign with investors looking to spin off or buy eComm outright.

Prototype