RONA

Role
Product Designer

Role

Product designer – updated several key components for both tablet and endless aisle platforms and provided design support and QA for product launch.

Problem

RONA approached Kinetic Commerce needing a solution to help them sell large appliances that are difficult to display as floor models because of limited store space.

Challenges

Purchasing an appliance can become an involved and time consuming experience. Our solutions needed to convey detailed product information so that a customer feels comfortable purchasing large appliances without being able to shop products physically.

To create a great endless aisle experience, an additional factor we had to consider was the effort it can take to navigate a digital experience on a screen the size of an average television. For the customer, we wanted to limit the amount of physical movement required to get from point A to point B. And if guided by an associate, allow them to present the product without standing in front of important product details or having to reach past a customer to navigate between screens.

Due to business limitations, we had no POS method connected directly to our applications and the endless aisle was too publicly visible to let the customer enter private payment information. As a result, we had to create a way so that the final step of purchasing the product could be completed at the register.

Solutions

We created an easy way to navigate through RONA’s full appliance catalogue, whether you’re a customer using the endless aisle or an associate recommending a product. Through internal prototyping, it was found that the physical motion of horizontal scrolling was easier on the endless aisle device than vertical scrolling due to the large width and height, thus this was implemented in both applications to maintain consistency.

At the product page level, key information is displayed at the surface with specific details available at the tap of a button. The customer or RONA associate can scroll to view other products that complete the appliance suite, kits and accessories that complement the product, similar products and product ratings.

Using the product comparison tool, the customer can select multiple brands or styles of an appliance to quickly build a product list and view a feature-by-feature comparison. We designed this so that the user can easily add and remove appliances, compare each feature side by side, and send the list to their email if they want some space to think before committing to a purchase.

In addition to the standard search feature, we also created a guided search or “appliance concierge” as we called it to help the customer to narrow down exactly what features they’re looking for or discover new considerations. This was done using step-by-step questions for each appliance category using product images and illustrations where possible.

For certain features, RONA offers “Learn More” content to help the customer understand what each option provides. At the end of the search, the customer can view their product results and use the filter to narrow down their selection even more precisely.

To complete a purchase, products will have to be added to the cart. From here, the customer can select a protection plan, choose additional delivery services, and view the overall total of their order. Because there is no self-checkout or POS connected, to complete their purchase the customer must print out a receipt and take it to a check-out counter. From there, the store associate can scan the printed receipt and complete the purchase using their stationary POS systems. Alternatively, if the customer is not yet ready to purchase, they have the option to email their cart to themselves and return to the store later.

If the customer abandons an application mid-purchase, a hibernation mode triggers after a certain period of time and resets the app for the next customer.

Product Launch and Results

Based on the success of the first pilot RONA expanded to an iPad Pro version of the platform. It is now deployed to over 15 stores as we continue to test / optimize the experience of the platform prior to full rollout.