Research & product direction
From online shop to community commerce
Research, a community-commerce proposition and a scalable product foundation helped position an e-commerce business for a £26M fundraise.
The strategic question
I joined a Magento-based eCommerce shop that lacked differentiation. The challenge was to create a proposition compelling enough for customers and credible enough to support the company’s next stage of growth—not simply to improve individual screens. Through research and competitive analysis, our team identified a community-first model as that growth lever.
Building the foundation for a strategic pivot
To make that direction credible, the team needed a differentiated proposition that could be tested, developed and scaled. We ran qualitative and quantitative studies, competitive analysis and product-analytics reviews with the research team. The evidence revealed a social, community-first e-commerce pivot. The resulting redesign, UX pattern library and design system turned that direction into a coherent product foundation the team could build, test and evolve.
From product direction to investment case
The transformation helped position the business for a successful £26M fundraise. Research established the opportunity; UX architecture, user testing and the design system made the proposition tangible and scalable; and the new experience generated commercial signals, including +2.5% conversion growth for a business with 1M+ monthly users.
The leadership lesson
Research had value beyond validating an interface: it helped the team challenge the product’s direction and build a more credible growth narrative. Architecture, testing and shared standards then connected that narrative to a product the team could deliver, improve and take forward.
Find the opportunity
Research and competitive analysis
Align on direction
A community-first model presented to leadership
Make it testable
UX architecture and user validation
Support iteration
A design system for cross-functional teams