The app lacked a clear value proposition, failing to find its place between the iconic physical department store and the web digital shopping experience
Context
As part of a global digital redesign for Galeries Lafayette, the mobile app faced a fundamental identity crisis. Before redesigning the UI, we needed to redefine the "Why."
The goal: Conduct a deep-dive discovery phase to determine if the app should be pivoted, merged, or discontinued based on user behavior and business strategy.
The challenge: Recommend a clear strategy for the app within our ecosystem to C-level executives and decision-makers in just a couple of days.
My approach
With one UX designer and one UX Research, I co-led a multi-layered research initiative to move from subjective assumptions to data-backed strategic recommendations.
Competitive benchmarking: I conducted a comprehensive study of luxury and retail competitors, focusing on homepage engagement. It helped to identify a critical gap: our app lacked the "inspirational" and "personalized" content that drives loyalty in the high-end retail sector.
Strategic framework (The Golden Circle): With the "Why, How, What" framework, it revealed a separation between our brand heritage and our digital execution, highlighting the lack of a clear strategy for digital-first users.
Hybrid user research (qualitative & quantitative): To get a 360-degree view, I co-led two parallel research streams.
→ A “Street interviews” like inside the Haussmann flagship store where we interviewed almost 90 physical shoppers. We tested hypotheses regarding in-store vs. digital expectations.
→ A digital survey by targeting our existing database, gathering 120+ responses to analyze the pain points of current app users.
Synthesis & analysis: In the end, we cross-referenced field frustrations (lack of perceived value) with digital data (low retention among older demographics) to map out clear friction points.
Outcomes
The pivot recommendation: The Galeries Lafayette app should not only be another way for shopping but also an omnichannel companion that enhances the physical store visit through exclusive in-store features and loyalty rewards.
Stakeholder alignment: Transformed subjective "gut feelings" about the app into an objective roadmap based on 200+ real user touchpoints.
Identified opportunities: Highlighted that younger demographics were the most active users, allowing marketing to focus their acquisition efforts more effectively.
Bonus
I wrote a detailed article on Medium about this experience, feel free to check this out !
