Olist
TYPE OF CLIENT
E-commerce | Hackathon
CATEGORY
Discovery | Prototyping
Challenge
More than 1 million different products are spread out in marketplaces throughout Brazil.
Olist is more than 400 thousand sales per month. Empowering Brazilian small, medium, and large local traders to have more visibility and management of all logistical shipments of all products and entire financial flow transfers. The challenge was to come up with a solution to manage a huge volume of questions about the items, improve the consumer experience and product information, enable decision-making at the time of purchase and provide to seller more fluid and optimized management. The number of orders exceeded 120 million in 2019 and consequently generated this volume of questions. The consumers’ questions are relatively simple. These questions flow on the various marketplaces, not only damage the final consumer experience, get in the way of the logistics of the seller, who needs to keep up with new questions from time to time and may lose the sale timing.
Identified hypotheses
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The high volume of product-related questions is overwhelming sellers, negatively affecting their ability to respond quickly, which in turn impacts their sales.
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Inadequate product information on marketplace listings contributes to an increase in customer questions.
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Delayed responses to consumer questions disrupt the purchasing process, leading to lost sales
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Logistical management becomes more complex when sellers are burdened with handling a high volume of inquiries, which could impact timely deliveries.
Opportunities
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Faster Response Times: Streamlining communication channels with automated or AI-driven chat responses could significantly reduce customer waiting times.
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Expanded Payment Options: Providing alternative payment methods beyond credit cards can cater to a wider audience and improve conversion rates.
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Integrate invoicing devices (NF) to enhance usability and improve the user experience.
Quantitative Research
We conducted a survey that was applied to approximately 160 users who frequently shop at e-commerce platforms. The aim of this survey was to gather insights into their purchasing behaviors, preferences, and the challenges they face when interacting with online sellers. We focused on understanding key pain points related to product information, response times to questions, and overall satisfaction with the shopping experience.
Journey
Based on the proposed challenge and the results of the conducted research, we created a detailed user journey flow. This flow was developed to map all stages of the consumer experience, from the moment they discover the product to the post-purchase phase. Throughout this process, we identified critical points that require improvement and opportunities for optimization.
Dashboard
In the response page, the questions are divided into the different sessions, where he can see quickly by the number of notifications how many questions need to be answered. The seller can manage how many calls have already been done, which areas most arouse questions among customers, in addition to exporting this data, if necessary. Also provides a periodic report with the most frequent questions on the platform. As a result of which the company has control over what generates a greater question flow, and what can be improved, facilitating the user journey.
The project is called Stovepipe. Based on the questions received, creates quick responses in such a way that the seller saves time as a result of which upon receiving a simple question, for example, “Is the product still in stock?” in just a click answer with “Of course! We have immediate delivery for the entire Curitiba city!” It works like artificial intelligence, filters received messages into sales channels, and divides into five sessions questions related to features, product description, payment, cancellation, and shipping. The goal is to ensure the customer has their questions resolved quickly while providing the sellers more time for other questions, or other management aspects of their company.
Takeaway
Results
Consumers typically access well-established marketplaces when shopping online.
A key factor that raises concerns during the purchasing experience is store reliability, with 70.2% of respondents highlighting this as a significant issue.
Buyers often seek interaction through chat, product pages, or email, particularly when dealing with lesser-known sellers, such as those on Mercado Livre. The acceptable response time from sellers is generally considered to be within one day.
Regarding potential improvements to online shopping platforms, consumers suggest the introduction of additional payment options for those without access to credit cards, more detailed information on product reliability, and the availability of free and expedited shipping options.