MERTRA®

Overview

Mertra is a fast-growing streetwear brand known for bold, utilitarian aesthetics. But despite strong traffic, their online store wasn’t converting—especially on mobile. I led a focused redesign to fix the experience where it was breaking: on product pages, in the checkout flow, and in trust-building moments. This wasn’t a full rebrand or tech overhaul. It was about removing friction, improving clarity, and turning casual scrolls into confident purchases. Within 90 days, we tripled conversion and cut checkout abandonment nearly in half.

Goals

  1. Increase mobile conversions
    Prioritize speed, clarity, and usability on mobile. Optimize product discovery and simplify the path from scroll to checkout.

  2. Reduce abandonment in the checkout flow
    Make shipping costs, payment steps, and progress visible upfront. Eliminate confusion that made users hesitate or leave.

  3. Improve trust through transparency
    Clearly show specs, shipping, and warranty info directly on product pages — no guessing, no surprises.

My Role + Responsibilities

Led mobile-first redesign of product pages and checkout. Simplified UX, added trust signals, and tripled conversion rate in 90 days.

Team

1 marketer, 2 photographers. I owned UX strategy, UI design, and site optimization across PDP, nav, and checkout.

MERTRA®

Overview

Mertra is a fast-growing streetwear brand known for bold, utilitarian aesthetics. But despite strong traffic, their online store wasn’t converting—especially on mobile. I led a focused redesign to fix the experience where it was breaking: on product pages, in the checkout flow, and in trust-building moments. This wasn’t a full rebrand or tech overhaul. It was about removing friction, improving clarity, and turning casual scrolls into confident purchases. Within 90 days, we tripled conversion and cut checkout abandonment nearly in half.

Goals

  1. Increase mobile conversions
    Prioritize speed, clarity, and usability on mobile. Optimize product discovery and simplify the path from scroll to checkout.

  2. Reduce abandonment in the checkout flow
    Make shipping costs, payment steps, and progress visible upfront. Eliminate confusion that made users hesitate or leave.

  3. Improve trust through transparency
    Clearly show specs, shipping, and warranty info directly on product pages — no guessing, no surprises.

My Role
+ Responsibilities

Led mobile-first redesign of product pages and checkout. Simplified UX, added trust signals, and tripled conversion rate in 90 days.

Team

1 marketer, 2 photographers. I owned UX strategy, UI design, and site optimization across PDP, nav, and checkout.

MERTRA®

Overview

Mertra is a fast-growing streetwear brand known for bold, utilitarian aesthetics. But despite strong traffic, their online store wasn’t converting—especially on mobile. I led a focused redesign to fix the experience where it was breaking: on product pages, in the checkout flow, and in trust-building moments. This wasn’t a full rebrand or tech overhaul. It was about removing friction, improving clarity, and turning casual scrolls into confident purchases. Within 90 days, we tripled conversion and cut checkout abandonment nearly in half.

Goals

  1. Increase mobile conversions
    Prioritize speed, clarity, and usability on mobile. Optimize product discovery and simplify the path from scroll to checkout.

  2. Reduce abandonment in the checkout flow
    Make shipping costs, payment steps, and progress visible upfront. Eliminate confusion that made users hesitate or leave.

  3. Improve trust through transparency
    Clearly show specs, shipping, and warranty info directly on product pages — no guessing, no surprises.

My Role + Responsibilities

Led mobile-first redesign of product pages and checkout. Simplified UX, added trust signals, and tripled conversion rate in 90 days.

Team

1 marketer, 2 photographers. I owned UX strategy, UI design, and site optimization across PDP, nav, and checkout.

Live Preview
Live Preview
Live Preview

Timeline

Q2 2024

Client

MERTRA®

Category

E-commerce | Product Design | Graphic Design

Product Duration

3 Months
Problem
Problem
Research
Research
Development
Development
Results
Results

Problem

Problem

Problem

Mertra is an Australian streetwear brand growing quickly since launching in 2022. Despite +22% YoY traffic, their eCommerce conversion rate lagged at just 0.9%, while checkout abandonment hit 68%—especially among mobile shoppers. Users also reported low trust: unclear product specs, no warranty info, and surprise shipping fees.


This case study is about one core goal: boost conversion and trust by simplifying mobile shopping and clarifying purchase details.

Early drafts + wireframes
Early drafts + wireframes
Early drafts + wireframes

Research

Research

Research

To uncover what blocked conversions and eroded trust, I led a mixed-method research sprint combining analytics, interviews, heuristic audits, and competitive benchmarking.


Quantitative Analysis

  • Google Analytics + Hotjar:
    • 59% of traffic came from mobile, yet most users didn’t scroll past the hero section
    • Low engagement with spec tables, despite 80% of support tickets being spec-related
    • Checkout abandonment peaked at the shipping cost reveal stage


Qualitative Interviews (n=15)
We spoke with a mix of loyal customers, first-time buyers, and high-intent drop-offs. A recurring theme: users didn’t trust the brand enough to buy, mainly due to missing shipping info, unclear specs, and lack of warranty visibility.


Heuristic Audit

  • Overloaded navigation with redundant CTAs

  • Product pages lacked clarity on payment, sizing, and delivery

  • Visual inconsistency damaged credibility


Competitive Benchmarking
Analyzed 5 direct competitors and industry leaders. Common practices Mertra lacked:

  • Upfront shipping and return policies

  • Financing options

  • User-submitted photos and reviews


Key Personas


Persona

Goals

Frustrations

Behavior Patterns

Jordan (23, Student)

Find trendy, affordable pieces on mobile

Gets confused by inconsistent sizing and poor mobile UX

Shops from Instagram, expects Apple Pay & fast checkout

Chris (28, Streetwear Collector)

Purchase limited drops and compare fit/sizing

No reviews or real product photos; unclear shipping timelines

Enters via product link, skims details, high AOV

Maya (31, First-time Buyer)

Buy a gift, feel confident in quality & return policy

Doesn’t see warranty info or shipping estimate until late

Bounces quickly if trust isn’t established early

To uncover what blocked conversions and eroded trust, I led a mixed-method research sprint combining analytics, interviews, heuristic audits, and competitive benchmarking.


Quantitative Analysis

  • Google Analytics + Hotjar:
    • 59% of traffic came from mobile, yet most users didn’t scroll past the hero section
    • Low engagement with spec tables, despite 80% of support tickets being spec-related
    • Checkout abandonment peaked at the shipping cost reveal stage


Qualitative Interviews (n=15)
We spoke with a mix of loyal customers, first-time buyers, and high-intent drop-offs. A recurring theme: users didn’t trust the brand enough to buy, mainly due to missing shipping info, unclear specs, and lack of warranty visibility.


Heuristic Audit

  • Overloaded navigation with redundant CTAs

  • Product pages lacked clarity on payment, sizing, and delivery

  • Visual inconsistency damaged credibility


Competitive Benchmarking
Analyzed 5 direct competitors and industry leaders. Common practices Mertra lacked:

  • Upfront shipping and return policies

  • Financing options

  • User-submitted photos and reviews


Key Personas


Persona

Goals

Frustrations

Behavior Patterns

Jordan (23, Student)

Find trendy, affordable pieces on mobile

Gets confused by inconsistent sizing and poor mobile UX

Shops from Instagram, expects Apple Pay & fast checkout

Chris (28, Streetwear Collector)

Purchase limited drops and compare fit/sizing

No reviews or real product photos; unclear shipping timelines

Enters via product link, skims details, high AOV

Maya (31, First-time Buyer)

Buy a gift, feel confident in quality & return policy

Doesn’t see warranty info or shipping estimate until late

Bounces quickly if trust isn’t established early

To uncover what blocked conversions and eroded trust, I led a mixed-method research sprint combining analytics, interviews, heuristic audits, and competitive benchmarking.


Quantitative Analysis

  • Google Analytics + Hotjar:
    • 59% of traffic came from mobile, yet most users didn’t scroll past the hero section
    • Low engagement with spec tables, despite 80% of support tickets being spec-related
    • Checkout abandonment peaked at the shipping cost reveal stage


Qualitative Interviews (n=15)
We spoke with a mix of loyal customers, first-time buyers, and high-intent drop-offs. A recurring theme: users didn’t trust the brand enough to buy, mainly due to missing shipping info, unclear specs, and lack of warranty visibility.


Heuristic Audit

  • Overloaded navigation with redundant CTAs

  • Product pages lacked clarity on payment, sizing, and delivery

  • Visual inconsistency damaged credibility


Competitive Benchmarking
Analyzed 5 direct competitors and industry leaders. Common practices Mertra lacked:

  • Upfront shipping and return policies

  • Financing options

  • User-submitted photos and reviews


Key Personas


Persona

Goals

Frustrations

Behavior Patterns

Jordan (23, Student)

Find trendy, affordable pieces on mobile

Gets confused by inconsistent sizing and poor mobile UX

Shops from Instagram, expects Apple Pay & fast checkout

Chris (28, Streetwear Collector)

Purchase limited drops and compare fit/sizing

No reviews or real product photos; unclear shipping timelines

Enters via product link, skims details, high AOV

Maya (31, First-time Buyer)

Buy a gift, feel confident in quality & return policy

Doesn’t see warranty info or shipping estimate until late

Bounces quickly if trust isn’t established early

Development + Design

Development + Design

Development + Design

I translated these findings into targeted changes on critical pages:


Homepage & Navigation

  • Implemented a hero section with dynamic promotional text

  • Added visible trust badges (warranty, payment icons) and review links

  • Simplified nav from 11 to 5 clear categories (“Hoodies,” “Jackets,” etc.)

  • Added persistent search with SKU predictive text, catering to seasoned buyers


Product Pages

  • Introduced mobile-friendly spec tabs for quick technical info access

  • Added financing options and shipping cost estimates directly under the price

  • Switched to optimized WebP images to improve load speed


Checkout Flow

  • Redesigned into a clear 2-step flow (Shipping → Payment) with real-time UPS shipping estimates

  • Added progress indicators and SSL secure-checkout microcopy


Brand Look & Feel

  • Created a modern, utilitarian design system: bold sans-serif headers, vibrant red accents, consistent automotive-inspired icons

  • Applied the system across banners, emails, and post‑purchase messaging

Results

Results

Results

Within 90 days of launch, data-driven performance metrics showed clear impact:


Metric

Before

After

Change

Conversion Rate

0.9%

2.6%

+189%

Checkout Abandonment

68%

41%

−27 points

Mobile PDP Scroll Depth

—

+55%

increased

PDP CTA Clicks

—

+2.1×

increased

Support Tickets (Product Specs)

—

−47%

reduced

Average Order Value

—

+16%

increased


Data visualization:


Data chart

  • More Works More Works

Cover.

REVER®

SaaS | E-commerce | Product Design

Cover.

REVER®

SaaS | E-commerce | Product Design

Cover.

REVER®

SaaS | E-commerce | Product Design

SSC Cover Desktop

Silver Star Capital

SaaS | E-commerce | Product Design | Brand Design

SSC Cover Desktop

Silver Star Capital

SaaS | E-commerce | Product Design | Brand Design

SSC Cover Desktop

Silver Star Capital

SaaS | E-commerce | Product Design | Brand Design