Scaling Fulfilment Services Across ESW Retailers

As retailers continue to blend digital and physical commerce, store networks are becoming strategic fulfilment hubs rather than solely points of sale. This project focused on scaling omnichannel capabilities including Return to Store (RTS), Ship to Store (STS), and Ship From Store (SFS) from a successful Nike implementation to ESW's wider retailer portfolio.

ROLE

Product Designer

BRAND

Nike + Core Retailers

PLATFORM

ESW Service Portal, Checkout

PROJECT TYPE

B2B, B2C

“This is a super valuable tool for our Ship To Store Business and I truly believe it will help us move faster in serving our omni-channel demand in SEA&I (Southeast Asia & India) and Mexico.”
— Nike’s Director of O2O and Member Growth at Stores

CONTEXT

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Enable/disable a store
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Add a new store location
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Manage store Opening Hours
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Schedule the desired go-live date for a Store

Manage stores details (address, contact details, opening and closing hours and go live data)

Configure ship to store (STS), return to store (RTS) and ship from store (SFS) capabilities

Ability to set up store as a default fulfillment centre when SFS  is enabled

Configure whether the store supports D/G goods when SFS is enabled

Store Management is a retailer facing tool to help them self manage the store and omnichannel fulfillment capabilities.

EVOLUTION

Originally launched as Ship to Store for Nike, this feature evolved as new capabilities including Return to Store and Ship from Store were introduced. In parallel, the company underwent a brand refresh focused on accessibility compliance, resulting in visible UI differences across iterations.

While first delivered for Nike across ESW markets, the solution was scaled in 2023 and made available to all eligible core retailers.

Ship to store

STS is a capability that allows shoppers to choose a physical retail store location for receiving their online purchases.

Return to store

The RTS capability enables retailers to process returns using their own stores rather than a return center.

Ship from store

STS capability enables retailers to use physical storefronts as fulfillment centers to ship online orders directly to customers.

SHIP TO STORE JOURNEY

A flowchart illustrating the online shopping process, including steps: shopping, checkout, delivery, pick-up store selection, store information, shipping, notification. Each step with icons and brief descriptions.

RETURN TO STORE JOURNEY

Flowchart diagram showing the online return process: shopper logs into returns portal, submits items for return, selects return options, returns are created, and shopper brings goods back to store for processing.

SHIP FROM STORE JOURNEY

Flowchart illustrating an online order fulfillment process, showing steps from customer placing an order, order confirmation, warehouse management, shipment creation, dispatch with carrier, and order arrival at delivery address.

6 users from Singapore and Mexico regions were selected. Users interacted with a prototype design and provided valuable feedback and insights to be fed back into the design process.

METHODOLOGY

Steps in the process

Screenshot of a formal email invitation to participate in a research study about Nike user experience testing, including a URL link for scheduling.

Creation of a research outline that was communicated to Nike

Identification of a suitable Nike testing panel

Preparation of the testing prototype and task instructions script

Scheduling tests at a suitable time accounting for time zones of the ESW design team and Nike users in Singapore (+7 hours) and Mexico (-6 hours)

Language proficiency of participants was another important consideration with our research team limited to English

Steps in the project

Calendar invitation for a meeting between Angie Ng and Chandni Janachandran on February 15, 2023, from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM, with a link to a Microsoft Teams event about Nike Usability Testing.

After liaising with the Nike team we created a shortlist of testing candidates

We finalised creation of prototypes using Figma

We created a script and pilot testing with a single user for the shortlist to validate the process

Users were asked to book an available slot using Calendly

A UX researcher on our team was present to take notes during the call

The users were asked to think out loud as they navigated through the prototype

ANALYSIS

I collaborated with UX researcher on our team to analyze the findings we gathered during the test and we mapped it on Miro board to visualize the common themes that emerged during tests.

A detailed project management or workflow diagram, featuring columns of sticky notes in yellow, purple, and blue, organized into sections labeled Task A, Task 1, Task 2, Task 4, and Conclusion/Insights, with screenshots of software interfaces on the right side showing forms and data tables.

FINDINGS

The following outcomes were determined from reviewing the testing sessions and directly observing users performing the following tasks:

Landing page: This page seemed clear to most users. They understood this screen allows users to turn on/off or allow a new store for Ship to Store from a particular country. Users went straight to the add new store button easily

Add new store: Users had a good understanding of this feature. they also brought their own insights and suggestions like: The importance of fields opening hours of customizing scheduled holidays and break down of opening hours on a store by store and location basis

Generate Labels: Most users were clear about the input fields but unsure about the overall purpose and use case for this  feature

Edit existing stores: This task was easily accomplished and the user preferred seeing their local time

Enable / disable stores: This task was also preformed easily however the success message was difficult for some user to spot

A/B TESTING

A quantitative analysis was conducted in parallel to validate the whether to use icons or text for the row level CTA of data table across the ESW service portal (ESP) we use icons as well as only text for the action links within a table. And the internal teams use one over the other purely based on their personal preference. But what about the end user's preference? 

Hence, we conducted this usability study to understand which version is more effective & user-friendly.

Methodology

For this particular study we used the Maze testing panel.Language was the only criteria set, since the wireframes were in English it was vital to recruit testers who understands the language.

Testing panel

For this particular study we used the Maze testing panel.Language was the only criteria set, since the wireframes were in English it was vital to recruit testers who understands the language.

Primary goal

To collect quantitative data to determine whether action links as text or icon is more efficient based on the following criteria:

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Mission success rate
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Mis-click rate
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Average duration
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Secondary goal

The secondary goal of the study was to understand the difficulties faced by the end users. We asked them to :

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Rate the overall task from 1 - 5
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Explain the difficulties they faced during the task (if they gave a rating less than 5)

Version A (icon as action link)

Screenshot of ESW Service Portal webpage displaying store management for Mexico, listing multiple stores with details such as store name, number, type, city, enable ship to store, go live date, and actions.

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Mis-click rate : 38.8 %
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Average duration : 41 seconds
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Direct success : 60.8 %
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Abandonment rate : 19.6 %
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Average score : 4 out of 5
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Version B (text as action link)

Screenshot of ESW service portal showing the list of stores in Mexico with their details, including store names, numbers, types, cities, and statuses.

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Mis-click rate : 33.3 %
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Average duration: 27 seconds
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Direct success: 80 %
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Abandonment rate: 8 %
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Average score: 4.6 out of 5
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CARD SORTING

An internal card-sorting exercise was conducted to validate and finalise the information architecture for the Store Management feature.

At the time, ESP did not include an omnichannel navigation item. This requirement was raised by the Nike Product Owner to accommodate upcoming features on the roadmap and create a dedicated section for omnichannel capabilities.

During internal discussions, many stakeholders expected the Return to Store and Ship to Store features to sit under an Omnichannel tab. However, this expectation appeared to be influenced by internal assumptions, as qualitative testing with end users did not surface concerns about the existing feature placement.

Based on these insights, the decision was made to retain the features under Countries until additional roadmap features were ready. Introducing an Omnichannel tab for a single feature did not provide enough value at that stage.

Screenshot of a table analyzing card preferences in different categories, showing percentages for cash on delivery, shipping to store, and return to store, divided between logistics and omnichannel participants.

Screenshot of a digital interface showing a card sorting activity titled 'ESP Navigation Card Sort'. The interface includes categories like Countries, Logistics, Omnichannel, etc., with various cards and their agreement rates displayed as colored bars and percentages. There is a sidebar with responses count and options for analysis tools.

REAL LIFE IMPACT

Nike Store in the Philippines reported that 80% of consumers are buying additional items when they come to collect their order. This has drastically improved the stores overall conversion rate which before Ship To Store was 35%.

Increased footfall in store

As customers come in to collect their orders, they may be enticed to make additional purchases.

Reducing carbon footprint

Packaging and transportation optimization as these orders are shipped directly to the stores.

Cost effective

Retailers can save some cost through the consolidation of shipments to high volume stores.

SCALING

After succesful results, the feature was subsequently offered to core retailers with more complex configuration requirements, a permissions-based approach was introduced. This enabled different views and access levels for Nike and core retailers, determined by the login domain while remaining within the same brand framework.

Nike

Continue to support ship to store and return to store only

Supports two store types, partner store and value store

Users with full access will be able to see all the hubs, countries and stores

Users with hub-level access will only see countries and stores in their respective hub

Users with country-level access will only see stores in their respective country

Core Retailers

Configure ship to store, return to store and ship from store associated to their brand

Configure whether the store has fulfillment centre capabilities when ship from store is enabled

Configure whether the store has dangerous goods capabilities when ship from store is enabled

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Doesn’t have store types
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Doesn’t have hubs
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HIGH LEVEL USER FLOW

Flowchart diagram about managing country access and store management, with decision points asking about access to hubs and countries, leading to different management strategies and UI updates.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The project reinforced that scalable UX is not about designing for the current requirement. It is about creating flexible systems that can adapt as business needs evolve. What began as a Ship to Store experience for a single retailer grew into a comprehensive omnichannel platform supporting RTS, STS, and SFS across multiple retailers.

By focusing on reusable patterns, extensible workflows, and platform thinking rather than retailer-specific solutions, the design was able to scale from a single use case into a strategic capability that connected digital commerce with physical stores.

HIGH FIDELITY WIREFRAMES

NIKE UI

Online store dashboard for Nike in Mexico, displaying store list, statuses, and options for editing or reviewing stores.

Online store management dashboard for Nike store, showing store information form for editing store details.

CORE RETAILER UI

Dashboard of Rossignol retailer management system displaying store list for France, including store names, IDs, types, cities, shipping options, and open date, with options to edit or view details.

Screenshot of an online store interface for editing a store location, including fields for address, contact info, hours, and logistics details.