Context

Mountex sells outdoor gear since 1989. Rapid store growth outpaced its home-built webshop. International roll-outs loomed; legacy tech blocked the path.

Challenges

• Outdated stack held back page speed and stock sync.

• SKU maze (60 000+) confused hikers and pro climbers alike.

• Checkout drop-off spiked on mobile screens.

Research & Insight

We ran analytics deep-dive and six remote task-based tests. One quote said it all: “I can’t tell if the rope is in stock until checkout.” Stock clarity and filter speed became north stars.

Methods in Focus

Usability Lab (8 sessions) – mapped search shortcuts; refined mega-menu within two iterations; raised find-in-search success.
Heat-map Sprint (2 weeks) – Hotjar + GA4 pinned thumb-reach issues; new sticky cart recovered lost basket visits.
Wireframe Demo (5 flows) – paired with LogiNet devs; flushed UX debt early, saving two sprints of rework.

Impact

Conversion rate

Mobile funnel completion climbed within four weeks of go-live.

Time-to-first-byte

Server render fell below 200 ms after CDN + SSR tune-up.

Support tickets

“Is this size available?” emails dropped sharply post-launch.

(Exact figures under NDA but confirmed by GA4 and Zendesk dashboards.)

Lessons for Readers

1. Nail inventory clarity before chasing fancy widgets.

2. Pair senior designers with senior devs—debates stay technical, not political.

3. Treat expansion early: one i18n-ready code-base beats three local hacks.