Desertcart · 2021–23
700-Category Information Architecture
Rebuilt global ecommerce IA to surface products people actually want.
The problem
Customers struggled to navigate 700+ categories. Launched a three-tier IA, PRO Membership, box shipping, and the "Get from Anywhere" global expansion.
What I shipped
Rebuilt Desertcart's information architecture across 700+ product categories into a three-tier structure. Designed PRO Membership (subscription tier with shipping perks → −20% cart abandonment) and the Box Shipping consolidation product. Conversion rose from 1.4% to 6.3%, bounce dropped from 70% to 45%. Used GA, Hotjar, and Crazy Egg for data-informed decisions across mobile app + website. The "Get from Anywhere" service expanded global reach and acquisition.
What I'd change
The three-tier IA fixed discovery for the head of the catalog, but the long tail still leaned on search. Given another pass, I’d treat search as the primary navigation for tail categories instead of forcing hierarchy onto them.