HelloFresh
EveryPlate Loyalty Challenge: Improving Customer Engagement
Year: 2021
Role: Product Designer
Platform: Web & Mobile
Overview
EveryPlate, a popular meal kit delivery service in the USA and Australia and a sub-brand of HelloFresh, makes enjoying home-cooked meals easy and affordable. While the brand enjoyed a substantial user base, analysis revealed a significant challenge: customer churn. Many users, while initially attracted by the value proposition, were not converting into repeat customers. This case study explores the design process behind a 12-week Loyalty Challenge aimed at improving lasting and turning occasional users into loyal customers.
Results
2.5%+
Net revenue
2.6%+
Order rate
14%+
App adoption
The challenge: Keeping customers coming back for more
While EveryPlate enjoyed considerable popularity, internal data showed that many customers were placing only occasional orders or churning altogether. Surveys revealed that while customers appreciated EveryPlate's convenience and affordability, many didn't feel connected to the brand. Feedback often expressed a desire for more engaging experiences and meaningful rewards.
Understanding user needs
To address the churn challenge effectively, I conducted user research to better understand the needs and motivations of EveryPlate customers. Through in-depth interviews with 10 active users, I explored their experiences with meal kits, their preferences regarding loyalty programs, and their overall needs and frustrations.
This research uncovered several key insights:
Feeling Valued: Users wanted to feel appreciated for their business, emphasizing the importance of personalized experiences.
The Appeal of Gamification: The idea of "gamified" rewards, with elements of surprise and a sense of progression, resonated strongly with users.
Keeping it Simple: Users stressed the need for a straightforward and easily understandable program that fit seamlessly into their busy lives.
These findings formed the foundation for designing the EveryPlate Loyalty Challenge.
Defining our design strategy and scope
From the direction gotten from the user research, I led a workshop with other stakeholders to define the strategy and direction of the project. Including technical limitations and possible touch points within the mobile application and the web version.
The challenge was built on these key principles:
Milestone-Based Rewards: Users would earn increasingly attractive rewards by reaching specific order milestones (8 meal box orders) within the 12-week period.
Personalised Incentives: Rewards were tailored to enhance the EveryPlate experience, such as free meals, premium ingredient upgrades, early access to new recipes, and exclusive merchandise. However, due to the technical limitations, the variety of rewards was restricted for the first iteration.
Easy Integration: The challenge was integrated directly into the user's account dashboard and mobile app for easy access and participation.
Designing the loyalty challenge
I started with creating wireframes for each main flow while sharing with the team for regular updates and feedback
I then proceeded to create high fidelity designs for our main flows and prepared prototypes for usability testing
Building prototypes for testing
Throughout the design process, I focused on creating a user-friendly interface that communicated the challenge's value and provided a simple user experience. I developed several key user flows to achieve this, ensuring that each journey step was intuitive and engaging.
First time user onboarding flow
The onboarding flow for first-time users was designed to be concise and informative, introducing the Loyalty Challenge and its benefits while setting clear expectations for participation.
Reward redemption flow
The reward redemption flow was streamlined to ensure a quick and satisfying experience for users claiming their rewards.
Moments of delight
I also created some animations to add some moments of joy into the flow
Iterating based on user feedback
To refine the design, I conducted usability testing with target users. This revealed areas for improvement:
Onboarding clarity: Simplified language and added visuals were incorporated to enhance understanding of the challenge mechanics.
Reward visibility: Unclaimed rewards were made more prominent to ensure users didn't miss out on their benefits.
Progress bar improvements: Tooltips were added to the progress bar to provide more detailed information about upcoming milestones.
Measuring the impact
The 12-Week Loyalty Challenge proved to be a success, exceeding initial expectations and delivering significant results:
+2.5%
Net Revenue
+2.6%
Order rate
+14%
App adoption
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