MACY’S TAXONOMY
ROLE
Lead Designer
TEAM
Site Merchandising, SEO, Marketing, Research, Copy
USER PROBLEM
Macy’s shoppers use all sizes of mobile devices as well as the desktop or laptop at home in order to find and explore products of interest. They primarily use the navigation system while shopping. However, it’s important to note that the order of categories and the labels of categories and sub-categories differ across platforms, making shopping less straightforward. The taxonomy was limiting our ability to clearly categorize new products onto the site. Customers encountered difficulties navigating across all platforms.
DESIGN SOLUTION
Establishing clear guidelines to categorize products simplifies the process and ensures consistency. Allowing users to view the same categories and products across platforms will help them navigate easily and find products quickly. We created a clear, simple and consistent taxonomy across all platforms.
“I don’t know how to navigate on the site. It is too confusing.”
“Specialty shops? I don’t know what I would see there.”
“Some of the sub-categories are not specific, and I don’t know what they mean.”
RESEARCH & DATA
The data revealed highly ranked categories, which informed our prioritization of product categores. It was important for the taxonomy to clearly indicate sales, brands, buying guides and other relevant features. Strong competitors such as Nordstrom also featured similar product categories and promotions.
We designed 3 navigation systems and learned types of labels users would look for while conducting a baseline card sort. In a subsequent study, we tested primary categories and sub-category label options using a tree test. Both studies yielded valuable insights, guiding our iteration process for refining category and sub-category lables and their overall organization.
CLARITY
SIMPLICITY
CONSISTENCY
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Clarity, Simplicity and Consistency were our three guiding principles that ensured our continued focus and direction. It was crucial to steer conversations back to our principles, especially given my collaboration with 16 merchandising managers, SEO experts, marketing professionals, and copywriters.
POST LAUNCH RESULTS
In an A/B test comparing against a control version, users preferred the new version which featured clear labels. This enhancement facilitated quicker access to products and ensured consistent labeling across all platforms, enhancing overall findability. Importantly, our primary Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of conversion rate was met.
+7.4%
PDP Conversion Rate
+15.9%
Conversion Rate
+14.6%
Revenue Per Session
+2.1%
Items Sold per Order
LOOKING FORWARD
What we have learned from this project and how we plan to move forward.
Measure often
We will continue to monitor product accessibility and overall conversion rates with a keen focus on the Product Detail Page.
Getting Feedback
Research is crucial, we will continue to solicit feedback from our users, conduct tests and iterate accordingly.
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