THE SONY STORE

A signature D2C shopping experience for Sony North America

In response to the changing consumer behavior brought about by the pandemic, Sony recognized the need for a Direct-to-Consumer channel. Our team was entrusted with the design and development of a distinctive, mobile-first experience tailored to the North American customer base. Our goal was to provide a seamless and impactful shopping journey that not only addressed specific customer preferences and needs but also fostered brand loyalty. By creating a product-immersive platform, we aimed to build a direct, long-lasting connection between Sony and its customers in North America.

Challenge/Brief

01.

Design, implement, and launch a seamless shopping experience for Sony North America’s key channels (mobile and web)

02.

Represent Sony’s legacy brand values while catering to an evolving digital-first customer base

03.

Support Sony’s growth strategy by integrating varying revenue-driving and awareness opportunities, to become the customer’s primary acquisiton channel

Project Snapshot

Process

Throughout an intensive 18-month period, our team collaborated closely with Sony's leadership, both in North America and Tokyo, as well as internal domain influencers and technology leads. Our primary objective was to conceptualize and design an optimal storefront experience that seamlessly supported sales, inventory management, and data processes.

UX Design played a pivotal role in driving the project forward, serving as the guiding force for aligning multiple teams and dependencies. As the Design Lead, my focus was crystal clear: deliver ahead of schedule, validate ideas early in the process, and provide visibility to key decision-makers. It was crucial to establish the right tools for collaboration and alignment, ensuring a smooth workflow throughout the project.

Discovery and research to define our vision

The Sony Store

Integrating the khando philosophy, characteristic of japanese blabla, with most up to date trends and advancements in digital shopping experience, we created a something-driven approach, which rescued the tradition and showcase the technological power of Sony brand.

  • Storefront Awareness

    Since most customers did not know Sony had a digital store front, positioning this capability at a glace was a priority. Messaging, sticky CTAs and multiple options to buy introduce the capability, incentivizing customers to take action, and reducing site abandonment.

  • Immersive Product Discovery

    Key site areas drive to articles and brand information, without interrupting a targeted search

    Sense of choice gives customers the reassurance of buying the right product and promotes brand loyalty

  • Optimized Checkout

    Keeping customers focus on what matters, so they effectively complete their purchase.

    Through a single-page view, the checkout experience minimized the number of clicks and reaffirmed transparency of costs, delivery times, and more.

  • Loyalty Consolidation

    By giving customers control of their shopping experience and quality marketing & support touch-points, the Sony store meets them where they are, wherever it is on their shopping journey, solidifying their intent to purchase

Project Outcomes

  • Design tenets that represented the khando philosophy, while showcase Sony as a technological powerhouse

  • Journeys for 2 customer personas, allowing multiple ways of navigation and solidify drive-to-purchase

  • Curation of a seamless and simple end-to-end product, representing key customer preferences: availability, convenience and simplicity

  • Scalable design across multiple regions through singe-page approach and design system that represented brand values and guidelines

Key Takeaways

01.

Our team played a crucial role in Sony's transition from relying on third-party sales channels to adopting a new, direct-to-consumer, business model. Our responsibility and impact went far beyond delivering a UX approach. It required that we understood, aligned, and represented larger business goals while embracing the complexities of an organizational change process. The success of our product and its ability to meet objectives hinged on the strong collaboration we had with the Sony team throughout the process, both during the launch and beyond.

02.

Building robust and reliable collaboration channels with technology teams, such as solution architects, API strategists, and QA, is vital for the success of the design process. It works both ways, as a shared vision ensures alignment between different tracks and facilitates independent decision-making when necessary. Simply put, when my team and your team have a clear understanding of each other's goals, it becomes easier to make informed decisions and suggest improvements that contribute to the overall success of the solution.

03.

Working with a renowned brand like Sony is an invaluable opportunity, as every decision made has far-reaching implications throughout the organization. Observing the leadership team navigate and address these complexities provided me with valuable insights into management, solution design, and the development of an integrated long-term corporate strategy.