Interim and Fractional Ecommerce Leadership for DTC and B2B ECommerce Brands

32% reduction in bounce rate from website redesign

British American Tobacco (BAT), a leading global tobacco company, acquired a struggling vaping brand experiencing declining performance. The brand’s website was outdated, buggy, and poorly designed, with an ineffective navigation system, weak mobile usability, and negative user feedback.

 

I was employed by BAT on an 18 month contrcat to come in and manage a recent acquisition – VIP Ecigs – and help thme turnaround a failing brand and address failing KPIs with an ecommere turnaround plan. 
I led a full website redesign and migration over 5 months, focusing on a mobile-first, user-centric platform: Design was overhauled – modern visuals, simplified layouts, and refined use of color and photography. in addition, I looked at enhancing the navigation: Clear user flows with intuitive menus, eliminating reliance on URL redirects.

 

User-Focused Features: Improved reorder visibility, reduced pop-ups, added compatibility information, and enabled saved payment details for smoother checkout.The project aimed to align the website with brand goals while reducing friction for users.
Following a detailed review, a clear ecommerce improvement plan was developed and presented to the board.
 
Alongside enhancing the on-site shopping experience and investing in new MarTech, a major commercial opportunity was identified: making 100% of in-store stock available online.
 
This is a common challenge for retailers, particularly those selling larger or bulkier items. The key focus was unlocking store inventory online without negatively impacting margins or the P&L.
 
Work focused on defining the commercial model, delivery pricing and customer charges, and how the expanded proposition would be positioned and communicated. The expanded range then became a core pillar of the ecommerce growth strategy.
  • 40% increase in Database Size
     
    The redesign delivered measurable performance improvements:
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    Bounce Rate Reduction dropped from 40% to 27% – a 32% improvement.
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    Increased Engagement of around 2,000 additional sessions per month, with users interacting rather than leaving. 
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  • improved User Satisfaction from an enhanced mobile experience, intuitive navigation, and user-focused features strengthened alignment with brand objectives.
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    By addressing usability, navigation, and customer pain points, the site became both visually appealing and high-performing, driving engagement, conversions, and long-term growth.