Bed Bath & Beyond
A STREAMLINED SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
A best-in-class web application to provide college-aged shoppers with a visually interactive shopping experience. This project was made by two designers, Sarah Saboori and Jonathan Dharmadi.
How can we make Bed Bath & Beyond's dorm shopping experience resonate with college-aged students?
Problem
Bed Bath and Beyond provides a vast assortment of instore products for college shoppers, but misses out on the opportunity to leverage digital solutions for it’s younger audience.
Target Audience
College-age students living in residential areas on or around campus
Key Demographics
18-24
Preferred Channels
Looking for answers via organic search or trends on social media
Challenges
Having all items that match a certain style, staying within a budget, and arranging their rooms
Qualitative Interviews
We completed a total of five 30 minute intervies to gauge how college students felt about their college shopping experience.
TAKEAWAY 01:
Budgeting
Most interviewers had an idea in mind of how much they planned to spend but did not set up a strict budget causing them to overspend. They wanted an easier way to create a budget.
TAKEAWAY 02:
Online
Interviews indicated that consumers preferred online shopping due to a larger selection, less time commitment, and easy price comparison.
TAKEAWAY 03:
Sharing
Participants shared experiences while planning with roommates. They explained how splitting the cost for items occasionally led to confusion and miscommunication at the end of the year. They showed a desire for an improved way to communicate items with roommates.
TAKEAWAY 04:
Style
Some participants noted their style preference when they first began shopping, while others made it clear that they didn’t know how their items would look together. They expressed desire for a style, but didn’t know how to start.
Quantitative Surveys
Based on survey research from over 70 responses, we have identified quantitative trends that validate qualitative insights.
67%
75%
54%
of respondents shopped for their items mostly online with 83% shopping from Amazon. This was mainly due to convenient fast & free shipping along with a large selection of items.
of respondents did not set up a budget with the average spending between $600-800. 82% of respondents believed that they overspent on college shopping.
of respondents split and assigned items with their roommates. They did find it difficult to split items evenly and often faced the awkwardness of splitting the bill.
How Might We?
After completing some brainstorming via mind maps, "how might we"’s and customer value mapping, we came up with some initial solutions.
- Style Quiz
- Swipe Interaction
- Collaborative Lists
- Augmented Reality Map
- Personalized Lists
- Thrifted/Borrowed Section
- Gamification
- Trial Items
- Budgeting
Competitive Analysis
Based on competitive analysis research, we have identified trends that helped identify our product goals.
Product Discovery
Sometimes consumers don’t know what they want until they see it! Having an option to view suggested items and save products allows consumers to inspire and define their style.
Easy Checkout
Minimizing the time between selecting and buying the item makes the interaction simpler and rewarding. Displaying savings makes the shopper feel satisfied with their purchase.
Sectioned-By-Style
Sections of specific styles with all of the items under it complementing each other making it easier for college students to have better matched rooms.
Opportunities & Ideas
We identified opportunities to provide college students with features that answer their consumer needs. View the case study document for more concepts that we investigated.
Grid-View Shuffle
An curated moodboard style visual based on responses to quiz questions that allows shoppers to easily find items similar to their style by locking favorite items and shuffling mismatched items
Collaborative Sharing
A collaborative list that allows family, friends, and roommates to ensure that every person brings what they need to succeed in their space by assigning items to certain people, agree to split items, and mark items as already owned/purchased/needed.
Customized Catalogue
A method of list creation that allows consumers to understand their needs by providing suggestions and curating products based on user input
- Unlike existing visualization tools and college packing lists, our app’s focus on understanding the individual user will direct them to maintain their budget, & select and modify a personalized list.
Bed, Bath, & Beyond Islands
A gamified list creation that allows consumers to curate a list by visiting islands for bed, bath, & “beyond” (kitchen, study, living) products for college.
- Unlike other methods of list creation, this interactive island experience takes shoppers to each “location” before prompting them to add various necessities and decorative items.
Solution
Our final solution was a shopping experience that allows consumers to curate a shopping cart by creating, sharing and designing rooms for bed, bath, & “beyond” (kitchen, study, living) products.
Collaboration
This collaborative room builder ensures that every person brings what they need to succeed in their space by assigning items to certain people, splitting purchases, and marking items as already owned/purchased/needed.
Design + List Creation
Design the room of your dreams while also maintaining your spending goals and creating a consistent aesthetic. Build each room before moving to checkout and adding Bed Bath & Beyond’s famous discounts - no paper coupons required!
Behind the Scenes
Thanks for scrolling all the way to the end of my project! Want to see all of the iterations? Download the full process deck below.
Like what you see?
Let's get in touch!
sarahrosesaboori@gmail.com