Creating eGifting: A New Solution for Retail Returns at Nordstrom

Problem

Retailers face a significant challenge with returns eating into profits and creating inventory management issues. I identified an opportunity to solve this through eGifting - allowing recipients to choose size/color or swap for a gift card before fulfillment occurs. This simple concept needed thoughtful design execution to succeed with Nordstrom's audience.

My Role

As Lead Designer, I was responsible for:

• Conceptualizing and producing high-fidelity mockups within 72 hours
• Conducting competitor analysis and usability testing
• Working directly with Nordstrom's team to implement their brand standards
• Designing both purchase and redemption experiences

Process

Rapid Research & Concepting

With an extremely tight timeline, I dove into researching competitors like LOOP Commerce and Jifiti to understand existing approaches. I spent several hours documenting current processes before sketching initial ideas in Balsamiq.

Without time to validate concepts with our senior product manager, I moved directly into Sketch to develop the user flow and visual designs. This agile approach was necessary given our 72-hour deadline.

Executive Presentation & Iteration

My first set of comps went directly to our CEO and VP for presentation to Nordstrom. The three-hour time difference gave me a small buffer for feedback. When change requests came back for Monday's presentation, I knew my weekend was spoken for.

I worked closely with our Senior PM over phone and IM to refine the concepts. To prevent presentation issues, I created a clickable prototype demonstrating the product-based gifting flow. This extra effort paid off when Monday's presentation secured the project.

User Testing & Validation

Once we secured the project, I collaborated with a junior designer to refine our approach. While she polished the desktop experience, I developed my "unseen" mobile-first approach in Balsamiq - something I believed was essential despite not being in the initial requirements.

We conducted remote unmoderated usability testing with the scenario:

“Your best friend´s birthday is coming up soon, and you wanted to send her something special. She just moved across the country and you don´t have time to mail a gift. You decided to try sending an egift of something you think she´ll love instead.”

User Testing & Validation Cont.

The testing revealed critical insights:

1. Users needed more explanation of this new concept
2. The add-on tax created confusion about who pays
3. Preview functionality for the recipient experience was essential

COLLABORATIVE IMPLEMENTATION

When Nordstrom's team arrived onsite, we spent two days aligning their personas with our technical capabilities. I shared our testing results, which helped frame our collaborative approach.

Nordstrom applied their brand guidelines and conducted additional testing, which confirmed our initial findings. Throughout development, we maintained a configurable foundation that allowed for brand-specific customization.

Results

The eGifting solution launched on December 14, 2015 with impressive results:

• Generated over $100,000 in its first week
• Created the only solution in the industry handling eGifting without direct inventory management
• Established a configurable platform adaptable to other retail partners
• Successfully implemented at Nordstrom with their full-price product line

My impact

Speed to Market

I delivered high-quality design solutions under extreme time pressure (72 hours for initial concepts) that secured a major retail partner. My work received direct recognition from leadership:

“Fantastic news. Please make sure Rob knows how much we appreciate his kick ass, late night and weekend work on the Nordstrom mock ups. They were great and I am sure invaluable in allowing Nordstrom to visualize the possibilities.” Matt K., VP Strategic Business Development

User-Centered Approach

Despite timeline constraints, I ensured we validated our concepts through proper usability testing, which aligned perfectly with Nordstrom's independent findings.

Cross-Team Collaboration

I successfully bridged communication between our executive team, product management, and Nordstrom's design team, ensuring consistent vision throughout the process.

Technical Foresight

By designing a configurable solution, I created a product that could scale beyond Nordstrom to other retail partners without extensive redesign.

Challenges & Insights

The biggest challenges I overcame:

1. Extremely compressed timeline (72 hours for initial concepts)
2. Designing without access to brand style guides
3. Balancing Nordstrom's brand needs with our technical capabilities
4. Advocating for mobile considerations despite initial requirements

What made this project successful was my ability to balance rapid execution with thoughtful testing. By incorporating user feedback early, we avoided potential pitfalls that could have delayed the December launch.

The eGifting platform demonstrated the value of solving a clear business problem (returns/inventory) while creating a better customer experience. Its success established a new revenue stream with potential to process millions in transactions as additional brands adopted the solution.