Slides
Introduction
Revolutionizing Seller-Buyer Interactions: Introducing Seller Message Outreach.
This initiative focused on seller success by enabling sellers to actively engage interested buyers on Kijiji. With this new feature, sellers will be able to send exclusive discounts to buyers who have shown interest (favouriting listings) on their item. This feature aims to generate leads for sellers, hence leading to more seller initiated conversations making Kijiji an efficient and dynamic marketplace.
- MOAT Strategy. This feature is part of Kijiji's strategic efforts to modernize the user experience of buying and selling. The goal was to keep the competitive edge and it was designed to enhance user engagement, offering a new way for sellers to stand out and for buyers to find great deals.
- Monetization and Growth. Beyond improving interactions between buyers and sellers, Seller Message Outreach opens new avenues for monetization. It's a step towards increasing the platform's on-site revenue potential while improving the overall user experience.
- Addressing Passive Listings. Historically, sellers had limited options to actively promote their listings to interested buyers. This feature tackles the challenge head-on, transforming passive listings into opportunities for direct seller-buyer communication.
Problem Statements
The "Seller Message Outreach" was launched to tackle some key challenges in the Kijiji marketplace:
- Connecting buyers and sellers. Due to the nature of the C2C marketplace, there was a gap since the platform couldn't legally link buyers who showed interest in the listing by viewing, favoriting, sharing or other engagement details. We needed a way to create a purchase intent that would allow sellers to engage with buyers who favourited their listings.
- Expiring listings. Listings expire in 2 months, and due to underperforming listings sellers lacked tools to sell effectively. The goal was to empower sellers with the tools and features that would allow them to promote their listings as well as negotiate and manage offers before their listing expires.
- Active engagement for professional sellers. Professional sellers were stuck in a situation where they couldn't proactively engage with potential interested buyers. They lacked the tools to identify or initiate contact with interested buyers, leaving them out of the loop in negotiations.
- Decrease in number of new listings. New listings dropped significantly to 1.3 million per month, a 16% decrease from the previous year, affecting the marketplace's variety and energy. Despite a slight increase in listings per seller, the overall trend was a worrying decline in fresh offerings for buyers. This trend highlighted the need to attract more listings to keep the marketplace vibrant.
- Fewer active sellers. There was a 23% drop in the number of active sellers to 534,000 per month over the year, indicating a problem with seller engagement. This decline was a threat to the marketplace's future and emphasized the importance of keeping sellers motivated and engaged.
- Under-utilized favourites. Even though there were 14 million favorites in week 8 of 2023, the fact that 18% fewer users were favoriting listings compared to the previous year suggested that this feature wasn't being used to its full potential. With most categories having less than 30 favorites per listing, there was a real chance to turn these passive interests into active leads and sales.
Goals & Objectives
- Modernize onsite business. Transition Kijiji's onsite operations to incorporate innovative features, improving the platform's overall revenue. The objective here is not just revenue for its own sake but modernization that adds tangible value to both users and the business.
- Feature launch and iteration. Roll out the Seller Message Outreach feature in the first half of 2023, with continuous iterations planned throughout the year. This goal encourages the commitment to delivering the feature based on user feedback and evolving market & user needs.
- Drive feature adoption and monetization. Achieve widespread adoption among sellers, leveraging the feature to test and implement various monetization strategies. The aim is to grow both the user base engaging with the feature and the revenue generated from it.
- Expand feature across platforms. Launch initially on Flutter and subsequently on the Web, ensuring broad access and usability. This objective reflects a phased approach to deployment, catering to different user preferences and behaviors.
- Leverage favourites as signal of intent. By enabling sellers to reach out to buyers who have favorited their listings, the feature aims to capitalize on existing buyer interest, converting it into active sales opportunities. This strategy acknowledges the potential of 'favorites' as a prelude to purchase intent.
Broader Business Impact:
- Strengthen Kijiji's Market Position. Through innovation and user-centric features, reinforce Kijiji's position as a leading marketplace that adapts to user needs and market trends.
- Drive revenue growth. By introducing new monetization avenues and increasing platform engagement, contribute to Kijiji's overall revenue growth.
- Improve selling and buying experience. Improve the selling and buying experience on Kijiji, leading to higher user satisfaction, retention, and advocacy.
Discovery Phase
Key findings
- A significant percentage of buyers on similar platforms expressed a preference for receiving discounts, indicating a strong potential for increasing buyer engagement through targeted offers.
- Sellers were looking for ways to stand out and actively engage with interested buyers, underscoring the demand for features that could empower them to initiate conversations and negotiations.
- Technical assessments revealed the need for a scalable solution that could bridge the gap between seller-buyer communication that blends well with existing platform functionalities, ensuring a smooth rollout and user experience.
What did I do?
- User research. The project kicked off with a comprehensive user research phase, aiming to dive deep into the behaviors, preferences, and pain points of both buyers and sellers on Kijiji. This involved moderated interviews, surveys, and data analysis to capture a 360-degree view of the marketplace dynamics.
- Competitive Analysis. Alongside user research, a thorough analysis of the competitive landscape was conducted. I examined how similar features were implemented on other platforms, such as eBay and Poshmark, and analyzed their impact on user engagement and pricing strategy.
- Technical Feasibility. With insights from user and market research in hand, I collaborated with the tech leads to assess the technical feasibility of implementing this new feature. This included evaluating the existing platform architecture, data flow, and potential integration challenges.
- Stakeholder Alignment. Ensuring that all stakeholders were aligned with the vision and objectives of the project was crucial. This phase included discussions with product team, development teams, marketing, legal, business and customer support to gather input and build consensus around the feature's design and implementation strategy.
- Insights and Strategy Formation. The culmination of the discovery phase led to formation of a strategic approach to address the identified challenges. The insights gained from research synthesis highlighted the need for a feature that could proactively connect buyers and sellers, leveraging 'signals of intent' such as listing favorites to initiate meaningful engagements.
Observations & Insights
Buyers
- 58% of buyers on eBay and Poshmark 'like' more listings in hopes of receiving a discount.
- 29% of buyers turn on more notifications since becoming aware of discounts to buyers.
- Some buyers find making an offer first uncomfortable; receiving a discount bridges the gap between their discomfort and interest.
Average listing prices in Buy & Sell
- Listing prices range from $15 to $400 in Buy & Sell categories.
- Average listing price: $85.
- More than half of all Buy & Sell listings are priced over $30.
Sellers
- 49% of Poshmark sellers and 53% of eBay sellers will check if they can send discounts to buyers when logged in.
- Overall, sellers send discounts because it leads to sales and boosts their seller activity on the platform.
- 55% of sellers on eBay and Poshmark consider sending discounts important to their success, playing a key role in their selling strategy.
- Sellers send discounts:
Feature price sensitivity (sellers)
- Feature adoption is likely when the feature fee is less than 5% of the listed price.
- Willingness to spend ranges from $5 to $10 per listing regardless of discount volume.
Design Process 💎
Ideation Phase
- The process kicked off with brainstorming sessions, where I explored various ways to enhance seller-to-buyer communication.
- Ideas were evaluated based on the insights gathered during the Discovery Phase, focusing on feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with user needs.
Wireframing – Prototyping
- With the wireframes as a guide, interactive prototypes were developed. These prototypes allowed me to simulate the seller's experience, from viewing listing insights to setting up and sending discounts.
User-Testing & Feedback
- The prototypes were used in user testing sessions with a group of sellers on the platform. Feedback from these sessions was invaluable, highlighting areas of confusion, suggesting improvements for usability, and validating the overall concept.
- User Testing Insights
- System Usability Scale — 80.3
Iterative Refinements & Design Finalization
- Based on user feedback, the designs underwent several iterations. This iterative process ensured that each aspect of the feature was as intuitive and effective as possible. Changes included simplifying the discount setup form and making the cost implications clearer as sellers selected the number of discounts to send.
- The final design incorporated all the refinements and was reviewed for technical feasibility, user experience quality, and alignment with Kijiji's design standards. Special attention was given to ensuring the design was accessible and easy to navigate for all users.
Design Handoff to Development Teams
- With the design finalized, detailed design specifications and assets were prepared for the development team. This handoff included all necessary documentation to guide the development process, ensuring a 1:1 implementation of the design.
Key Considerations
- Seller-success Focus. Throughout the design process, the focus remained firmly on creating a feature that addressed user needs in a straightforward and impactful way.
- Collaboration and Flexibility. Collaboration between design, development, and product teams, along with flexibility in responding to user feedback, was critical in refining the feature.
- Data-Driven Decisions. Decisions at each stage of the design process were informed by data and insights from the Discovery Phase, ensuring that the feature was grounded in real user behaviors and marketplace dynamics.
- Alignment with New Features in Pipeline. The team was simultaneously working on other seller-focused features so strategic alignment was necessary between the teams. The alignment helped us follow a top-down approach to gauge the scalability and connectivity of these new selling tools.
Dev & QA Support
- Collaboration and agile development. The development journey was a collaborative effort, adhering to agile principles to ensure flexibility and responsiveness. Regular interactions between designers and developers ensured fidelity to the envisioned user experience.
- Overcoming technical challenges. Integrating the feature into Kijiji's existing platform required innovative technical solutions, particularly for seamlessly incorporating new user insights and interactions without disrupting the existing user flow.
- Rigorous QA testing. The prototypes were subjected to user testing sessions with a group of sellers on the platform. Feedback from these sessions was invaluable, highlighting areas of confusion, suggesting improvements for usability, and validating the overall concept.
- Iterative Improvements. The design-to-code implementation happened along with a cycle of feedback, testing, and refinement, ensuring that every aspect of the feature was polished and aligned with user needs.
- Preparation for Launch. The culmination of this phase was a comprehensive review and final tweaks, setting the stage for a smooth launch. Documentation and bug-bashing were the final steps that helped us prepare for the launch.
Launch & Implementation
- Targeted launch based on seller adoption rates. With an estimated 6.5 million active sellers, the launch strategy was informed by adoption projections—2% on the conservative end, 4% as the base expectation, and an 8% aggressive adoption rate. These metrics guided the phased introduction of the feature to sellers.
- Pricing & revenue strategy. Our revised pricing strategy implements a tiered pay-per-use model that scales with user engagement. We anticipated a monthly revenue of approximately $600K. In a more aggressive market uptake scenario of 8%, the revenue expectation could rise to about $1,303,422.
- Staged adoption and feedback incorporation. The feature was rolled out incrementally, starting with a segment of sellers to gather initial feedback and adjust strategies accordingly. This step-by-step approach was designed to fine-tune the feature and maximize its impact.
- Comprehensive Seller Support. Educational materials and proactive support were provided to ensure sellers could leverage the new feature effectively. Clear guidance on setting up discounts and understanding the impact on sales was a crucial part of the strategy.
- Monitoring and Adjusting KPIs. The team closely monitored key performance indicators against the projections to measure the success of the feature and to adjust tactics as necessary. Seller adoption rates and revenue figures provided a clear framework for assessing performance and guiding decision-making post-launch.
- Marketing push for awareness and adoption. A robust marketing campaign was launched to promote the feature, targeting both current and potential sellers with communication tailored to the projected adoption rates and expected benefits.
Impact & Lessons
- Adoption rates realized. The actual adoption rates by sellers provided a clear indication of the feature's acceptance. Comparing these to our conservative, base, and aggressive projections helped us understand market readiness and the effectiveness of our launch strategy.
- Revenue realities. The feature's success was also quantified by its revenue contribution. As per our targets, we were able to achieve 0.8% growth over base adoption rate estimates, increasing our revenue by $50,000 higher than our targets.
- Enhanced engagement. The increase in buyer-seller interactions was a testament to the feature's core objective to stimulate marketplace activity. Tracking the number of favourites and conversations started gave us valuable insights into how such features can invigorate user engagement.
- UX feedback. Post-launch feedback from sellers regarding the new discount offering process was crucial. It not only gauged the feature's usability but also informed potential enhancements to improve the seller experience further.
- Marketplace vibrancy. The overall health of the marketplace—reflected in active listings and sales transactions—was monitored to gauge the feature's broader impact. Positive trends would reaffirm the value of the Seller Message Outreach initiative.
Key Lessons:
- The importance of flexible, phased rollouts became clear, allowing for adjustments in real-time based on initial feedback.
- Detailed projections and KPIs were essential for measuring success and guiding iterative improvements.
- The feature highlighted the necessity of ongoing seller support and education to ensure a feature's successful adoption and use.