Case Study

Customer Research & Strategy for Ecommerce SaaS Product

SaaS   |  Customer Research  |  User Survey  |  Customer Interviews  |  Product Strategy & Roadmap

Project Background

A leading SaaS company in the ecommerce industry, serving over 4000 ecommerce businesses, relied on their platform as the central hub for managing their entire ecommerce operations. From stock and warehouse management to multi-channel product management and fulfillment, ecommerce businesses relied on their platform as their operational heartbeat.

Internal debates and gut decisions

Internal debates were rampant within the team. Decisions were slow and difficult to make, and often required many different stakeholders. They couldn't agree on who their key customers were, leading to a product roadmap that was driven more by gut feeling than concrete evidence.
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Customer Profiling Workshop

To bring clarity and alignment, we facilitated a thorough customer profile workshop. Participants included senior leaders, the product team, and individuals regularly interacting with customers, such as the sales and support teams. Through brainstorming sessions and group collaboration, we identified potential customers, refined them based on specific needs, and established core personas for each group.
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Example output from customer profiling workshop - User Brainstorm Cards


Customer Survey

To gain a deeper understanding of the user base and their platform usage patterns, we designed and implemented a comprehensive user survey. Leveraging email distribution and in-platform pop-ups, we garnered over 600 survey responses. Through segmentation analysis, we categorized users into six distinct groups based on their usage and broader needs.
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Customer Interviews

Building upon the defined customer profiles, we conducted 30 in-depth user interviews. Each of the six user groups was represented by five participants, allowing us to explore their roles, platform usage, pain points, desired improvements, and factors influencing loyalty or switching from competitors. These interviews took place at their workplaces, providing valuable insights into their daily experiences.
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Guiding the Product Roadmap

Based on the accumulated findings, we developed four comprehensive user personas that consolidated the initial six segments. These personas became the focal point for the product team, challenging assumptions and driving decisions moving forward. Additionally, we delivered an in-depth report outlining key findings and recommendations. To enhance the impact of our insights, we included carefully curated video snippets from the 30 hours of user interviews, providing tangible evidence to support our recommended product enhancements.
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More clarity and team unity

The impact of our work was acknowledged by a Senior Product Manager, who expressed that our insights greatly improved their product roadmap and provided the much-needed clarity they had been lacking. The SaaS CEO also commended our efforts, stating, "Amazing work! In just a few weeks, you have delivered insights we haven’t had clarity on in years. We now have a clear vision for the product, and we can't wait to get started. Thank you!"

By conducting customer profiling, workshops, surveys, and user interviews, and guiding evidence-based decision-making, we empowered our client to refine their understanding of customer needs and unite their team around a common vision. This newfound clarity enabled them to take decisive action and drive their product roadmap forward.

"In just a few weeks, you have delivered insights we haven’t had clarity on in years. We now have a clear vision for the product, and we can't wait to get started. Thank you!"

CEO, Ecommerce SaaS Company
Please note - this project has been anonymised due to contractual agreements

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