maplin and the challenge of poor ux
While reviewing some old files recently, I revisited a project some years back where I worked with the retailer Maplin and analysed the poor conversion rate on their website and the resulting dip in sales. At the time Maplin were going through a particularly difficult time and were experiencing significant challenges due to a senior management shakeup.
I took a deep dive into the details of their website and explored their eCommerce strategy to assess how they managed the site. I also looked at what measures, if any, were being taken to fix the various issues and bugs affecting the user experience.
It became clear that there was a lack of range planning, no real focus on improving conversion rates, and no focus on the customer journey. Below was a rough summary I presented to the leadership team of where I felt they needed to improve.
Some background - Maplin became particularly popular with hobbyists, DIY electronics enthusiasts, and people looking for unique tech products. Their stores often attracted customers looking for parts for home projects or specific electronic components.
However, despite its popularity, Maplin faced financial difficulties in the years leading up to its closure. In 2018, the company went into administration, and most of its physical stores were closed, marking the end of an era for many of its loyal customers.
A brief attempt to revive the brand occurred in 2019 when Maplin was relaunched online, focusing on consumer electronics and technology. But the company struggled to regain the prominence it once had, and the brand is no longer as widely recognized today.
As you can tell, the customer had to put in a lot of effort just to complete a transaction due to the poor customer journey. Even with access to their analytics, identifying the issues was straightforward — no need to be a brain surgeon.
After presenting my findings to senior management, I was then asked about improving their social media presence, which felt not a focus at that point. Their main priority was enhancing conversion rates by improving the customer journey before addressing any social media strategies.
Although the website has definitely improved since then, I decided to place an order after the contract ended and to experience the process first hand... only to find they couldn't locate my registered address!
As a footnote I should point out that today's Maplin site is very well optimised and a lot better than the above but this gives you a flavour of the typical approach I have taken with businesses over the years.
