A mobile e-commerce UX for an ethical pet cosmetics brand, redesigned to reduce purchase hesitation without discounts, dark patterns, or false urgency.
[ Brief ]
Lapunzel is an ethical pet cosmetics brand: vegan ingredients, premium pricing, mobile-first. The product was real and well-made. The problem was the UX made it feel risky to buy. Our job: make the purchase feel as safe as the product actually is.
4
Design decisions
0
Discounts used
+100%
Purchase confidence
[ Real Problem ]
High intent. Low purchase completion.
Users were coming in ready to buy, and leaving without doing it. Not because of price. Because the experience felt uncertain.
[ Hypothesis ]
Trust is a UX feature, not a marketing claim.
Research showed that users didn't need to be convinced, they needed to be reassured. At the right moment. In the right place. Through interface decisions, not copy.
[ Decision 1 ]
Trust as a UX feature (not marketing)
Users hesitated to buy from a new, unfamiliar brand, especially at a higher price point.
Embed trust signals into product and purchase flows — vet-approved tags, photo/video reviews, real-time availability.
Trust was built at the exact moment users needed reassurance — not hidden on an About page.
[ Decision 2 ]
Categories based on user intent
Generic categories (Fur, Eyes, Ears) caused confusion — users didn't think in anatomy, they thought in outcomes.
Renamed categories from anatomical logic to usage logic: Shampoos and Conditioners, Balms and Soaps, Tonics and Foams.
Recognition-first navigation led to faster, more confident product decisions.
[ Decision 3 ]
Explain value instead of defending price
Higher pricing raised skepticism — not because users were price-sensitive, but because value was nowhere visible in the flow.
Make value scannable — ingredients, origin, purpose. Link educational blog content directly to relevant products.
When users understand why something costs more, price becomes secondary to confidence.
[ Decision 4 ]
Design for retention, not just conversion
Product choice no longer required guesswork. Navigation reflected how users actually think.
Trust was built at the exact moment users decided to buy, not on an About page no one reads.
The experience prepared users to return — without feeling pushed.
