James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)
James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

Chemist Warehouse

Bringing chemists’ expertise to your digital shopping experience

Scope of work

User interviews / Research synthesis / Design studio session / Prototyping / User testing

Cwhsnippet
Role
UX Designer, leading ideation for the team
Project
Concept project, Oct 2021
Result
5 of 5 test participants found the feature helpful

Project summary

This is a concept project, not client work. It explores how Chemist Warehouse could bring the trust shoppers feel in store to its website.

Chemist Warehouse reported a 50% drop in turnover as COVID kept customers out of its stores. The goal was to grow online sales, so a brand that is on every main road could be just as present online.

Interviews told us the website felt as overwhelming as the crowded stores, without a chemist on hand to help. I led the team to design a comparison feature that gives shoppers the clear, trusted advice they would get in store.

The problem

The stores succeed in a way the website doesn’t

COVID pushed people to shop online, and Chemist Warehouse wanted to lower its risk and lift online sales in case of another lockdown.

The challenge

How can we make the online platform as successful as the stores?

Challenge

Chemist Warehouse retail stores have a level of success that isn’t found in their online channel. How can we make their online platform more successful?

Albedobase Xl Create An Image Of A Chemist Warehouse Filled Wi 1

Phase 1

Exploring the problem

Our research set out to understand how people shop for health products, online and in store. We ran 20 user interviews to learn:

  1. Why they prefer shopping online or in store
  2. How COVID changed the way they shop
  3. What they think of the current Chemist Warehouse website

Phase 2

Key insights

01

Trust drives the decision, online or in store

We found two groups of shoppers: people who value the in-store experience, and people whose habits guide what they buy. The groups overlap, because many people like asking a trusted expert and build that into their routine.

SHOPPING HABITSBuying in bulkInstant purchasesThe closest pharmacyPrice and discountsSHOPPING EXPERIENCEHelpful, friendly staffEnjoying the storeA wide rangeA confusing layoutTRUSTFamiliarityBrand trustExpertiseSHOPPING HABITSBuying in bulkInstant purchasesThe closest pharmacyPrice and discountsTRUSTFamiliarityBrand trustExpertiseSHOPPING EXPERIENCEHelpful, friendly staffEnjoying the storeA wide rangeA confusing layout
Shopping habits and shopping behaviours and where it intersects
James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)
02

Lost in navigation

Jennifer put it well: the website can feel overwhelming, especially for people who aren’t confident online. The cluttered navigation and bold branding mirror the packed shelves in store, and that doesn’t translate to a screen.

“The website is just like the store, too crowded.”
Jennifer, 43
James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)
03

From browsing to buying, the store wins

Many people visit the website just to browse. They would rather ask questions in person and buy on the spot.

Only uses the website to check whether they have stock
Lee, 28 (interview note)
“I’ll go in store and talk to someone to validate what I’ve read online.”
Georgia, 31

Defining the user

Two kinds of shopper

Our research pointed to two archetypes, each with their own motivations, goals and pain points: the online shopper and the in-store shopper.

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)
James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

Online shopper

“Shopping online is straightforward. I can search for what I need and compare prices.”
  • Buys once they have all the information they need
  • Likes the convenience of having it delivered

In-store shopper

“I trust my local chemist because of their opinion on health care.”
  • Feels safe asking a professional who can answer their questions
  • Likes the range, but can feel overwhelmed by it

Which shopper to focus on?

The bigger opportunity was turning in-store shoppers into online shoppers. It matched Chemist Warehouse’s goal: grow their online presence and win back lost retail sales as online sales.

Problem statement

The in-store shopper needs trusted information when buying health products online, so they can make an informed decision.

Phase 3

The solution

How might we help in-store shoppers make an informed decision when they buy online?

Our answer is a feature that lets people compare several products side by side.

Listing what each product is for, its active ingredient, its limits and its side effects gives the in-store shopper the advice they would look for in store, with every option on one screen.

Comparing products today

Medicinecomparison

It’s hard work. Shoppers need a browser tab for each product, the information differs from page to page, and the marketing gets in the way of a fair comparison.

The new experience

Every product, side by side, in one window.

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)
The My Comparison page on the Chemist Warehouse site: three hay fever medicines side by side, each with price, add to cart, suggested use, who it is not recommended for, and possible side effects.123456

  1. Finding the comparison

    1Saved to My Comparison. The products a shopper is weighing up live in the main menu, with a count.
    2One window, not three tabs. Every product sits side by side on one page.

  2. The advice a chemist would give

    3What it’s for. The symptoms each product treats, in plain words.
    4Who shouldn’t take it. The warnings you would hear at the counter.
    5What to watch for. Side effects, listed the same way for every product.

  3. Deciding

    6Buy from the comparison. Quantity and add to cart sit with each product, so the choice and the purchase happen in one place.

Why it works

  • It answers the questions people ask a chemist, which is what in-store shoppers were missing online.
  • The same fields for every product, so the comparison is fair, unlike the marketing on each product page.
  • No more tab juggling. Most test participants said they would otherwise open a tab for each product.

Trade-offs

  • It relies on clean, consistent product data for every listing to be filled in the same way.
  • Shoppers think in symptoms, not labels. The one participant who chose wrongly was looking for a runny nose, not ‘hay fever’.
Takeaway

The comparison view brings the chemist’s advice online: what it’s for, who shouldn’t take it and what to watch for, side by side.

Phase 4

Usability testing

We tested whether people could choose the right hay fever medication with zero errors. We aimed for 100% success, because a mistake with medication wastes time and money, and can affect someone’s health.

4 of 5chose the right medication, against a goal of 5 of 5
5 of 5found the comparison feature helpful

The participant who chose wrongly wasn’t looking for ‘hay fever’ on the label. He was thinking of his symptom, a runny nose. Every option treated it, so he removed the 70-pack because he wouldn’t need that many.

When we asked each participant how they would start comparing these items, most said they would open a tab for each, because “most websites don’t have this feature.” That reminded the team why we were building it: to make shopping online easier.

Further testing needed

One test failed because the participant was confused when comparing hay fever medication. To reach 100% success, we need to test with more people.

How do people decide which medication to buy? A survey (graph 1) shows what shoppers look for, but we still need to test whether showing it actually helps.

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

(graph 1) Making decisions on purchasing medicine

Does the feature build trust, and will it lead to sales? That needs more testing.

Reflection

What I took away

01

Build it up in small steps.

The idea of building slowly over time applies to many products. You can do a lot with a little, as long as it happens in increments.

02

Do less, better.

Our first vision was too ambitious. We tried to do too much in one feature, which diluted it. A minimum viable product needs a measured hand.

03

Trust is slow to build.

Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Overpromising and underdelivering kills it quickly, so it has to be built up over time.

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

I believe by starting here…

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

We can eventually get here.

View full case study

Chemist Warehouse

Bringing chemists’ expertise to your digital shopping experience

Scope of work

User interviews / Research synthesis / Design studio session / Prototyping / User testing

Cwhsnippet
Role
UX Designer, leading ideation for the team
Project
Concept project, Oct 2021
Result
5 of 5 test participants found the feature helpful

Project summary

This is a concept project, not client work. It explores how Chemist Warehouse could bring the trust shoppers feel in store to its website.

Chemist Warehouse reported a 50% drop in turnover as COVID kept customers out of its stores. The goal was to grow online sales, so a brand that is on every main road could be just as present online.

Interviews told us the website felt as overwhelming as the crowded stores, without a chemist on hand to help. I led the team to design a comparison feature that gives shoppers the clear, trusted advice they would get in store.

The problem

The stores succeed in a way the website doesn’t

COVID pushed people to shop online, and Chemist Warehouse wanted to lower its risk and lift online sales in case of another lockdown.

The challenge

How can we make the online platform as successful as the stores?

Challenge

Chemist Warehouse retail stores have a level of success that isn’t found in their online channel. How can we make their online platform more successful?

Albedobase Xl Create An Image Of A Chemist Warehouse Filled Wi 1

Phase 1

Exploring the problem

Our research set out to understand how people shop for health products, online and in store. We ran 20 user interviews to learn:

  1. Why they prefer shopping online or in store
  2. How COVID changed the way they shop
  3. What they think of the current Chemist Warehouse website

Phase 2

Key insights

01

Trust drives the decision, online or in store

We found two groups of shoppers: people who value the in-store experience, and people whose habits guide what they buy. The groups overlap, because many people like asking a trusted expert and build that into their routine.

SHOPPING HABITSBuying in bulkInstant purchasesThe closest pharmacyPrice and discountsSHOPPING EXPERIENCEHelpful, friendly staffEnjoying the storeA wide rangeA confusing layoutTRUSTFamiliarityBrand trustExpertiseSHOPPING HABITSBuying in bulkInstant purchasesThe closest pharmacyPrice and discountsTRUSTFamiliarityBrand trustExpertiseSHOPPING EXPERIENCEHelpful, friendly staffEnjoying the storeA wide rangeA confusing layout
Shopping habits and shopping behaviours and where it intersects
James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)
02

Lost in navigation

Jennifer put it well: the website can feel overwhelming, especially for people who aren’t confident online. The cluttered navigation and bold branding mirror the packed shelves in store, and that doesn’t translate to a screen.

“The website is just like the store, too crowded.”
Jennifer, 43
James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)
03

From browsing to buying, the store wins

Many people visit the website just to browse. They would rather ask questions in person and buy on the spot.

Only uses the website to check whether they have stock
Lee, 28 (interview note)
“I’ll go in store and talk to someone to validate what I’ve read online.”
Georgia, 31

Defining the user

Two kinds of shopper

Our research pointed to two archetypes, each with their own motivations, goals and pain points: the online shopper and the in-store shopper.

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

Online shopper

“Shopping online is straightforward. I can search for what I need and compare prices.”
  • Buys once they have all the information they need
  • Likes the convenience of having it delivered
James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

In-store shopper

“I trust my local chemist because of their opinion on health care.”
  • Feels safe asking a professional who can answer their questions
  • Likes the range, but can feel overwhelmed by it

Which shopper to focus on?

The bigger opportunity was turning in-store shoppers into online shoppers. It matched Chemist Warehouse’s goal: grow their online presence and win back lost retail sales as online sales.

Problem statement

The in-store shopper needs trusted information when buying health products online, so they can make an informed decision.

Phase 3

The solution

How might we help in-store shoppers make an informed decision when they buy online?

Our answer is a feature that lets people compare several products side by side.

Listing what each product is for, its active ingredient, its limits and its side effects gives the in-store shopper the advice they would look for in store, with every option on one screen.

Comparing products today

Medicinecomparison

It’s hard work. Shoppers need a browser tab for each product, the information differs from page to page, and the marketing gets in the way of a fair comparison.

The new experience

Every product, side by side, in one window.

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)
The My Comparison page on the Chemist Warehouse site: three hay fever medicines side by side, each with price, add to cart, suggested use, who it is not recommended for, and possible side effects.123456

  1. Finding the comparison

    1Saved to My Comparison. The products a shopper is weighing up live in the main menu, with a count.
    2One window, not three tabs. Every product sits side by side on one page.

  2. The advice a chemist would give

    3What it’s for. The symptoms each product treats, in plain words.
    4Who shouldn’t take it. The warnings you would hear at the counter.
    5What to watch for. Side effects, listed the same way for every product.

  3. Deciding

    6Buy from the comparison. Quantity and add to cart sit with each product, so the choice and the purchase happen in one place.

Why it works

  • It answers the questions people ask a chemist, which is what in-store shoppers were missing online.
  • The same fields for every product, so the comparison is fair, unlike the marketing on each product page.
  • No more tab juggling. Most test participants said they would otherwise open a tab for each product.

Trade-offs

  • It relies on clean, consistent product data for every listing to be filled in the same way.
  • Shoppers think in symptoms, not labels. The one participant who chose wrongly was looking for a runny nose, not ‘hay fever’.
Takeaway

The comparison view brings the chemist’s advice online: what it’s for, who shouldn’t take it and what to watch for, side by side.

Phase 4

Usability testing

We tested whether people could choose the right hay fever medication with zero errors. We aimed for 100% success, because a mistake with medication wastes time and money, and can affect someone’s health.

4 of 5chose the right medication, against a goal of 5 of 5
5 of 5found the comparison feature helpful

The participant who chose wrongly wasn’t looking for ‘hay fever’ on the label. He was thinking of his symptom, a runny nose. Every option treated it, so he removed the 70-pack because he wouldn’t need that many.

When we asked each participant how they would start comparing these items, most said they would open a tab for each, because “most websites don’t have this feature.” That reminded the team why we were building it: to make shopping online easier.

Further testing needed

One test failed because the participant was confused when comparing hay fever medication. To reach 100% success, we need to test with more people.

How do people decide which medication to buy? A survey (graph 1) shows what shoppers look for, but we still need to test whether showing it actually helps.

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

(graph 1) Making decisions on purchasing medicine

Does the feature build trust, and will it lead to sales? That needs more testing.

Reflection

What I took away

01

Build it up in small steps.

The idea of building slowly over time applies to many products. You can do a lot with a little, as long as it happens in increments.

02

Do less, better.

Our first vision was too ambitious. We tried to do too much in one feature, which diluted it. A minimum viable product needs a measured hand.

03

Trust is slow to build.

Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Overpromising and underdelivering kills it quickly, so it has to be built up over time.

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

I believe by starting here…

James Ton | Product Designer (UX/UI)

We can eventually get here.

View full case study