Case Study

Transforming a Local Retail Store's Digital Presence


Client Overview

Industry: E-commerce • Retail

Project Type: Complete Website Redesign

Timeline: 6 weeks

Client: Mountain View Home & Garden (Local retail store specializing in outdoor furniture and garden supplies)

 

The Challenge

Mountain View Home & Garden had been serving their local community for 15 years, but their digital presence was holding them back from reaching new customers and maximizing sales from existing ones.


Key Problems Identified:

  • Outdated Design: Website hadn't been updated in 4 years, looking unprofessional compared to competitors
  • Poor Mobile Experience: 68% of their traffic came from mobile devices, but the site wasn't mobile-optimized
  • Low Conversion Rates: Only 1.2% of visitors were making purchases
  • Difficult Product Discovery: Customers couldn't easily find what they were looking for
  • Complicated Checkout: 73% cart abandonment rate due to lengthy, confusing checkout process
  • Slow Loading Times: Pages took 8+ seconds to load on mobile devices


Business Impact:

  • Missing out on seasonal sales peaks
  • Losing customers to big-box retailers with better online experiences
  • Declining revenue despite steady foot traffic to physical store

 

Our Solution

We implemented a comprehensive mobile-first redesign strategy focused on user experience and conversion optimization.


Key Improvements:

Mobile-First Design

  • Responsive design that prioritizes mobile experience
  • Touch-friendly navigation and buttons
  • Optimized images and faster loading times (reduced to 2.3 seconds)

Streamlined Product Discovery

  • Intuitive category navigation with visual filters
  • Enhanced search functionality with autocomplete
  • "Recommended for You" sections based on browsing behavior
  • High-quality product photography with zoom capabilities

Simplified Checkout Process

  • Reduced checkout from 6 steps to 3 steps
  • Guest checkout option (no forced account creation)
  • Multiple payment options including Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Clear shipping costs and delivery timeframes upfront
  • Progress indicators and easy cart modification

Enhanced Features

  • Local delivery zone calculator
  • "Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store" option
  • Customer reviews and ratings system
  • Seasonal product recommendations
  • Newsletter signup with 10% first-purchase discount

Performance Optimization

  • Image compression and lazy loading
  • Optimized hosting setup
  • CDN implementation for faster global loading
  • Clean, efficient code structure

 

The Results

The transformation exceeded all expectations, delivering measurable improvements across every key metric.


Conversion Rate Success

  • 150% increase in online conversions (from 1.2% to 3.0%)
  • Cart abandonment rate dropped from 73% to 31%
  • Average order value increased by 40%


Mobile Performance Breakthrough

  • 200% improvement in mobile traffic engagement
  • Mobile conversion rate jumped from 0.8% to 2.8%
  • Mobile page load time reduced by 70%


Additional Business Impact

  • 35% increase in overall online revenue within first 3 months
  • 25% growth in email subscribers through improved signup flow
  • 40% increase in "Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store" orders, driving foot traffic
  • Customer satisfaction scores improved from 3.2/5 to 4.6/5


SEO and Traffic Improvements

  • 60% increase in organic search traffic
  • Improved Google PageSpeed score from 31 to 89
  • Better search rankings for local keywords

 

Client Testimonial

"ClearPath Design completely transformed our online presence. We went from being embarrassed about our website to proudly sharing it with customers. The mobile experience is night and day better, and we're finally competing with the big retailers online. Our online sales have never been stronger, and the best part is we're getting more people into our physical store too."

— Sarah Chen, Owner, Mountain View Home & Garden

 

Key Takeaways

This project demonstrates how a strategic, mobile-first approach can dramatically improve e-commerce performance for local retailers:

Mobile-First is Essential: With 68% mobile traffic, prioritizing mobile experience was crucial for success

Simplified Checkout Wins: Reducing friction in the buying process had the biggest impact on conversions

Local Integration Matters: Connecting online and in-store experiences created additional value for customers

Performance Affects Everything: Faster loading times improved both user experience and search rankings

User Experience Drives Results: Every design decision was made with the customer journey in mind

 

Ready to Transform Your E-commerce Store?

If your retail business is struggling with similar challenges, we can help you achieve similar results. Our proven process combines strategic planning, user-focused design, and performance optimization to deliver measurable business growth.

Get Started Today:

  • Free website audit and consultation
  • Custom strategy based on your specific needs
  • Flexible payment plans available
  • 14-day money-back guarantee


Contact ClearPath Design to discuss your e-commerce transformation.