In 2016, Marks & Spencer faced year-over-year losses in clothing sales due to inadequate product availability in its stores, compounded by an outdated supply chain. As part of its recovery strategy, M&S sought to leverage the success of its food division by offering customers the option to order products online or via in-store click and collect.
M&S Food to Order marked a pivotal moment for the company, recognizing the evolving landscape of digital products that allowed customers to purchase groceries online.
The challenge
The primary challenge was to comprehensively understand and accurately assess customer demand for food products in the digital realm. While M&S Foodhall and Simply Dinner (ready-made meals) thrived in physical stores, the pivotal question was whether this success could be replicated in the digital arena.
The M&S distribution center in Castle Donnington lacked the infrastructure required for food delivery, compelling the company to seek valuable intelligence from data and research before committing to significant investments.
My role
In this project I worked as a UX/CX research lead, I had the privilege of running the research effort that not only molded but also defined both the service and user interface of the Food Delivery trial.
My research yielded insights that played an instrumental role in securing the multi-million-dollar Food Delivery deal with Ocado.
How we got there
Tested demand with a targeted prototype launch
Our team unanimously decided to gather evidence and insights through the deployment of a fully functional prototype, albeit on an invitation-only basis, to the general public.
This prototype effectively served as an A/B testing experiment, and its service coverage was limited to specific postcodes in London and Reading. Additionally, to measure demand, we offered the option to register an interest to the customers based in areas not yet included in the service.
The homepage was intentionally designed to direct users towards either ordering from Simply Dinner or Foodhall. This approach aimed to assess customer demand for each service, purchase frequency, and average basket value.
To maintain data integrity, on mobile devices, the appearance order of the Dinner and Foodhall sections was randomized.
Gathered insights on the new service via qualitative tests
Customers exhibited great enthusiasm for the new service, as evidenced by their comments:
“It’s like Deliveroo and Amazon Fresh combined: dinner and groceries delivered in 1 hour.”
Customers found the service highly recognizable as M&S, and the use of black plates enhanced the visual appeal of the food.
“Very recognizable as M&S’ and the black plates make the food look even more delightful”
Simply Dinner – appealing to customers but unclear proposition
The user interface’s aesthetics resonated quickly with customers, providing a valuable opportunity for the UX team:
“…the quality you are going to get is certainly up to scratch because of the graphics and the photos”
“Judging by the imagery, it looks like better food than Deliveroo”
However, the value proposition remained unclear to customers, as they expected to enjoy the ordered food immediately.
“Can I just stick my fork in and eat when it arrives?”
“Prepared/cooked on site and then delivered?”
What’s the actual amount of food I’m going to get?
Confusion arose regarding serving sizes and photography, causing customers to question the quantity of food included versus serving suggestions.
“That’s interesting! The entire thing is on one plate but it serves four, and does it come with bread?”
“Hopefully the basket will double check the portions for me?”
Foodhall – resonated with customers but the category taxonomy was unfamiliar
While the Foodhall’s health-conscious categories resonated with a significant portion of customers, they struggled to anticipate the contents of each category.
“A little bit unsure about those two images. Gluten-free chicken?”
“It would be great if I could set my dietary requirements and get calories per meal, not just per product.”
Conducted Affinity Mapping workshops to uncover emerging patterns from collected data
Survey data confirmed customer confusion regarding the Dinners section products.
Early data indicated that only 63% of customers expected to find only ready-to-oven meals; the majority believed they could order a meal and consume it immediately.
Research conclusions
Simply Dinner service – stop
M&S customers expressed dissatisfaction with the Dinner service, deeming it inconvenient and unhelpful for their daily routines.
The potential customers for the Dinner concept were primarily ‘Busy-Bee moms’ and office workers, often concluding their work late, enduring long commutes, and seeking quick meal solutions. However, the process of using an oven, waiting for it to heat up, and then waiting for the food to be ready was considered more of an inconvenience than a helpful solution.
Foodhall online service – continue
The Foodhall online service enjoyed incredible success, pushing the limits of M&S’s food fulfillment capabilities. Based on the research insights, M&S stakeholders confidently chose to focus entirely on the Foodhall delivery service.
Phase 2: Transitioned to a stable online service with enhanced UI
Phase 2 revolved around designing an optimal user interface capable of competing with established players such as Tesco, Waitrose, or Ocado. This required a collaborative effort within the UX team.
From the homepage to the checkout process, the Project Whale team worked closely with product owners and UX leads for each page template to refine the interface and leverage existing, tested design components.
Impact: M&S secured a £750m food delivery deal with Ocado
The astounding success of the Foodhall website prompted M&S to strategize the expansion of its logistics and service to a national scale.
I had the privilege of leading the research that shaped and defined the service and user interface of the Food Delivery trial. My research provided the crucial insights that made a deal of this magnitude possible.
Steve Rowe, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer, expressed his unwavering belief in the online potential of M&S food. He described the partnership with Ocado, which combined M&S’s premium food offerings with Ocado’s technological prowess and delivery network, as a “win-win” arrangement that would drive sustained growth.
Rowe emphasized that this partnership allowed M&S to venture into the online food market immediately, profitably, and with a scalable and sustainable approach.
Please note
Due to the extremely sensitive information my research contained I have been only able to provide in my portfolio a simplified account of the research insights and work that was involved.
Want to know more?
If you’d like to find out more about my work and experience, or to discuss potential projects, please get in touch!
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