A personal experience using Target's Drive Up service - whereby customers purchase online and receive their items curbside at a local store - was the impetus for this project. Needing to return an item, I learned that there was no option to return via Drive Up as I had purchased. This led me to investigate whether curbside returns would be a viable addition to Target's service offerings.
This project was completed as a self-initiated case study, and was not requested or endorsed by Target corporation.
UX Design, Product Strategy, UX Research
At the time of study (summer 2021), surprisingly few retailers offered curbside return services, despite being over a year into the Covid-19 pandemic. Of those I found, none had a fully automated process similar to some of the curbside pick up programs employed by many retailers at the time.
Several important themes emerged regarding the retail industry as a whole:
Trend research suggested future demand for more curbside options. Target Corporation's position as an industry leader in customer experience makes the case for adding returns to their existing Drive Up services only stronger.
With few existing curbside return models for comparison, I conducted a 63 participant survey to investigate current consumer attitudes toward curbside services and their expectations for the future.
Target's mission to create "...convenient and joyful experiences for customers" supports Drive Up Returns as a way to strengthen market position. Further, the structure required to implement curbside returns largely exists already within Target's experience framework.
With the research suggesting a positive outcome for both customers and business, the question became:
How might we seamlessly add a curbside return option to Target's mobile experience?
To discover pain points within Target's process, I mapped a customer journey from purchase through return.
Mapping the existing user flow within the mobile app, I discovered an opportunity to simplify the flow, making the return process seamless.
Diagraming the existing app's task flow for returns, I overlaid a proposed path for the new Drive Up Returns feature. The new flow closely mirrors conventions set by the existing Return by Mail framework.
The process continued with sketches that worked through some of the new screens required in a Drive Up Return scenario.
I created high-fidelity mockups to illustrate solutions to user pain points. All UI elements were designed to mirror the Target brand's existing mobile UI at the time of study.
Drive Up purchases represent a hybrid purchase model - buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS). New filter options reduce possible confusion over where the user can find these purchases within the Target app.
Receipts for purchases are already accessible through the order total section. I removed the 'Receipts' category, reducing decision making paths for the user.
Adding a curbside return option gives customers more flexibility, supports Target's brand promise, and is likely to boost profits based on the most up-to-date research on retail returns.
*Restrictions on certain items - such as perishables, large/bulky goods, etc. - remain, and are already documented within Target's database and accounted for within existing user flows
Usability testing was conducted with a prototype created in Figma. Since the intended audience of the features being tested are existing customers, the 5 test participants recruited were already familiar with the Target mobile app.
All users completed the task of scheduling a Drive Up return. All errors during testing could be accounted for due to limited functions in the prototype, whereas in a fully functioning model the alternate path a user tried to take would also have led to the desired outcome.
Tester quotes:
Iteration points:
The video below shows the prototype in use:
1. A natural continuation of the Drive Up Returns feature is exploring upsell and added convenience opportunities, such as adding a pick up to a return and vice-versa. I allude to this option in confirmation screen mockups, though it was outside the scope of this project to fully investigate. Continually evolving features such as these both provide added value to customers and contribute to positioning the business as an innovator and leader in the retail space.
2. While working on this project I also explored the idea to expand Target's overall returns program to allow returns by any method, including curbside, no matter the purchase method. This would include the option to ship back (eligible) items that were purchased in-store. I did not have access to the logistics data needed to inform such a change. However, Target already offers mail-in return for items purchased via a hybrid method - an indication that their inventory and fulfillment systems may be set up to accommodate an even more flexible return policy in the future.
