Sportano – implementation of a user-friendly e-commerce in just 3 months

In 2021, we were given a task to create an e-commerce platform for the Sportano shop, which offers high-quality sports equipment, at an express pace. Today, the company's product range includes more than 27,000 products for amateurs and professionals of all sports disciplines. Sportano's mission is to promote a healthy lifestyle while providing customers with an excellent shopping experience in a modern and innovative online shop. 

Challenges 

The biggest challenge in our project for Sportano was the race against time. The client already had the equipment in stock but lacked a high-tech sales platform to distribute it. The e-commerce platform had to be built rapidly so the company could get a return on its investment as soon as possible. 

Projects developed in a short timeframe require compromises, at least at the MVP level. Often, the quality of the user experience and the convenience of navigation are lost in the process. In the case of Sportano, however, the customer experience came first, so UX was our priority. We had three months to create a shop that would not only sell but that customers and employees would love.

Another challenge was to create a visual brand identity. The Sportano offer includes mid-range and premium products, so finding a balance between these segments and reaching the desired target group was key.

The Sportano range is very extensive so enthusiasts of different sports can find complete equipment in the shop. This meant thousands of products and hundreds of categories, which we had to present in a form that was intuitive for users.

UX as a priority

During the project for Sportano, our priority, in addition to functionality, was the quality of the customer experience. Despite the very short time, we focused on refining the purchase path, designing a clear layout, and simplifying navigation and search. We created a custom user account where users can easily manage their orders and wish list, and a simple checkout allows them to finalise their order in a moment. What's more, we've also implemented convenient solutions for non-registered customers, including a guest wish list and returns without logging in based on the order number. Such functionalities are rarely offered for non-registered users, but with Sportano, shoppers' comfort comes first.

Minimalistic design

We wanted to capture the character of the sector while breaking the pattern. Most sports shops have vibrant colours, lots of moving elements, dynamic bevels and imagery that emphasises the blurring of motion. Such solutions maintain the association of sport with adventure, adrenaline and extreme experiences, but can be tiresome in terms of website navigation.

At Sportano, we have focused on minimalism and purity of form, while maintaining the contrasting and distinctive character of the segment. Inspirational, lifestyle photography, edgy shapes and a muted colour scheme, while expressive bevels and contrasts give us a perfect balance between a modern approach to design and the character of the sport sector.

Product presentation

Categories are a challenge in a sports shop – they need to be general enough to facilitate exploration for customers who are just looking around and specific enough to respond to the needs of professionals. Sportano proposes 8 main categories developed into precise subcategories.

The product page is the main source of information for the customer, so the key challenge is to include as much information as possible in a readable form. Sportano relies on a clear layout, breaking content into segments structured by images, tables and video.

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User account

The account for registered customers provides many functionalities, such as Facebook and Google integration, customised return statuses, saved addresses or a panel with recently viewed products, usually only available on the homepage and product page. Customers can also sign up for a newsletter from their account, share a link to their list of favourite products and have their company data automatically populated based on their tax number. Advanced personalisation of the content displayed based on users' interests is also underway. 

Order finalisation

For Sportano, it was crucial to take care of the user experience right to the end, so we took great care in designing the checkout process.

In the cart, the customer has access to a product preview and information on the discounts applied.

The sidebar displays how to get a free delivery, and when the delivery will be made. Usually, this information is not available until the final stages of the checkout, and customers often abandon their order when it turns out that the delivery is too late or it’s cost is too high. A transparent policy avoids this situation.

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Saved address options can be used in the delivery form and, for business customers, auto-complete invoice data based on the tax number is available. 

The customer also has the option of registering an account at the final stage, which is rare; usually registration is only offered with the address form.

The moment of payment itself is also noteworthy. Customers paying via PayU can select their bank in the shop page and only then are redirected to the bank's website. In this way, the process is faster as it bypasses the PayU subpage. Card payments, on the other hand, are available from the shop page without an additional redirect.

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Sportano has also implemented several customised mailings, which is rare for shops launched at such an express pace. The emails include all the key information and the feature to track the delivery, without having to wait for a second email from the courier company. The email also includes a link to the product pages of the items ordered, as well as a button to contact the shop directly. This allows the user to bypass the process of searching for contact details on the website should they have any questions or concerns about the order.

Continuous improvement of experience

Although we launched the basic version of the shop in just three months, our work to maintain and develop the platform is ongoing. E-commerce is a dynamic sector where the primary driver for expansion is clients’ needs and feedback. We listen, analyse and implement solutions to further improve the user experience on the site. 

One such change is the redesign of the product filters. We noticed that the previous model displaying products horizontally was overlooked by site users. This way allowed more products to be displayed, but made navigation difficult and therefore not optimal from a UX point of view. We therefore made a modification – the filters are now displayed in a clear column on the left side and this layout has met with a much better response from customers.

We also improved the consumer experience in the brick-and-mortar shop by implementing a desktop application in the form of interactive POS. Consumers can now browse products of interest, check their specifications and availability in the shop. We also adapted the platform to the requirements of the EU Omnibus Directive, which protects consumers from unfair practices.

Sportano – a shop without compromises

The implementation for Sportano was a unique adventure and an extremely interesting challenge. In 3 months we launched an online shop that was not only functional but also distinguished by the quality of the user experience, meeting the highest UX standards. In such a short period, we built a platform offering customers more innovative solutions and a better designed shopping path than platforms that have been on the market for years. Our hard work was recognised at the gala of the E-commerce Poland Awards, where we were awarded in the Design & Usability category.

The Sportano project is an excellent example of how innovative solutions and customer focus produce spectacular results and result in long-term partnerships.

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