32% Bounce Rate
Reduction from a
Full Website Redesign
A failing vaping brand with an outdated, buggy website and declining KPIs. A 5-month mobile-first redesign reduced bounce rate from 40% to 27% — a 32% improvement — and added 2,000 additional engaged sessions per month.
About VIP Ecigs / British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco (BAT), a leading global tobacco company, acquired VIP Ecigs — a struggling vaping brand experiencing significant performance decline. The brand's website was outdated, buggy and poorly designed, with an ineffective navigation system, weak mobile usability, and consistently negative user feedback.
I was employed by BAT on an 18-month contract to manage the acquisition and lead a full ecommerce turnaround — addressing failing KPIs with a structured improvement plan presented directly to the board.
An Outdated, Buggy Site Driving Users Away
The existing website was working against the business at every turn. Navigation relied heavily on URL redirects rather than intuitive menus. The mobile experience was poor — a critical failing in a consumer DTC brand. Pop-ups were excessive and disruptive, reorder journeys were difficult to find, and the overall design was dated and misaligned with the brand's positioning.
The result was a 40% bounce rate — nearly half of all visitors leaving without engaging — and a feedback loop of declining trust, declining sessions and declining revenue that needed to be broken with a structural solution rather than incremental fixes.
A Mobile-First Redesign & Migration
I led a full website redesign and platform migration over 5 months — focused on a mobile-first, user-centric approach that addressed every identified friction point systematically.
Modern visuals, simplified layouts and a refined approach to colour and photography — creating a brand experience that built trust rather than undermining it.
Clear user flows with intuitive menus, eliminating reliance on URL redirects entirely. Every journey from landing to checkout was mapped and simplified.
Improved reorder visibility for returning customers, significantly reduced pop-ups, added product compatibility information at the point of decision, and enabled saved payment details for a smoother checkout.
A major commercial opportunity identified during the audit: making 100% of in-store stock available online. Defined the commercial model, delivery pricing and positioning — which became a core pillar of the growth strategy.
From 40% to 27% — Bounce Rate Transformed
Bounce rate dropped from 40% to 27% — a 32% improvement — meaning significantly more visitors were engaging with the site rather than leaving immediately on arrival.
Around 2,000 additional sessions per month where users were now interacting with the site — browsing products, completing reorders, and moving through the purchase journey.
An enhanced mobile experience, intuitive navigation and user-focused features strengthened alignment with brand objectives — turning a site that was actively damaging the brand into one that supported and amplified it.
Ready to Start Growing?
The first conversation is always free. No pitch — just a clear picture of where your business is and what I'd focus on first.