Ecommerce Consultant and Growth Strategist for small businesses
07592 629885 | Dominic Smith - Ecommerce Consultant
Premier Farnell is a global distributor of electronic components, products, and services for engineers and developers. Founded in 1939 and headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, Premier Farnell operates as part of the Avnet Group, which acquired the company in 2016.
They supply a wide range of electronic components, industrial products, and development tools for engineers, including semiconductors, connectors, test equipment, and single-board computers (notably the Raspberry Pi).
Offers engineering support, design tools, and resources to facilitate product development and innovation.
Premier Farnell embarked on a major digital transformation initiative, collaborating with McKinsey to implement Agile methodologies across the business. The goal was to drive significant growth through more personalized and efficient online experiences. As part of this initiative, I was tasked with leading the creation of a dedicated personalization squad focused on delivering value through data-driven insights. This squad, comprising UX/UI designers, a Scrum Master, analytics experts, and CRO specialists, was to strategically optimize various aspects of the website to enhance user engagement and conversion rates. The primary challenge lay in recruiting the right talent, integrating the team into the broader Agile framework, and ensuring that the squad could effectively deliver on the ambitious digital transformation goals.
After assembling the personalization squad, I focused on setting a clear vision and strategy for the team's first few months. I introduced a product roadmap with a clear emphasis on personalized experiences that would directly drive revenue growth. This roadmap outlined key areas for optimization, including the implementation of Adobe's A/B testing capabilities and advanced CRO techniques.
Our approach was rooted in data-driven decision-making. By leveraging analytics, we identified key friction points across the website and opportunities to optimize customer journeys. One of the primary areas of focus was improving product recommendations through personalized content, ensuring that users were presented with the most relevant products based on their behaviors and preferences.
We also worked on enhancing the navigation experience, particularly by improving the flow from the homepage to deeper site sections, encouraging users to explore more of the site.
Incorporating Adobe’s suite of tools, such as Adobe Target for A/B testing and Adobe Analytics for insights, we were able to continuously iterate on our strategies. We employed rigorous A/B testing to validate hypotheses, fine-tuning elements like layout, design, and content to maximize conversion rates. Our team worked closely with the broader CRO team to ensure that every change was optimized for performance.
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The combined efforts of the personalization squad and the CRO team resulted in tangible improvements over an 18-month period. Through continuous A/B testing, we achieved an impressive 40% success rate in our experiments, with each test providing valuable insights that informed the next cycle of optimization. This iterative process not only improved the user experience but also contributed to a significant increase in conversions and customer engagement. Over the course of this period, we successfully released five major features designed to enhance personalization and optimize site performance. These enhancements, fueled by data-driven strategies and A/B testing, contributed to an estimated £4.5 million in incremental annual revenue growth. The adoption of Adobe tools played a critical role in enabling us to scale our testing and optimization efforts, ensuring that every change was backed by solid data and aligned with the broader business objectives. In the end, the digital transformation was not just about technology—it was about creating a seamless, personalized experience for users, optimizing key touchpoints across the website, and ultimately driving significant growth in revenue. The collaboration between the personalization squad, CRO team, and Adobe’s powerful tools was central to delivering on these goals and positioning Premier Farnell for continued success in the digital age.
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