Reduce Buyer Wait Times: Enhance Seller Order Feature for Faster Refunds
year
2020
what i did
Collaborated with the data team to analyze seller behavior in order processing through data funneling
Documented all available order statuses
Extracted ideas based on insights from user interviews
Conceptualized a way to communicate order acceptance deadlines to sellers
Determined touchpoints and devised a communication plan for sellers
Tested the concept of the new rule
The data and confidential information in this case study has been altered to comply with non-disclosure agreement. All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Bukalapak.
Numerous orders had been abandoned by sellers on Bukalapak, an Indonesian marketplace platform, causing uncertainty among buyers as they awaited without clarity until the orders expired.
We aimed to accelerate buyer wait times by improving seller order processing speed significantly
The Challenge
Increasing number on abandoned orders
The project originated from data analysis, revealing that among non-remitted orders, 40% were refunded. Upon further examination of this percentage, we found:
45%
of refunded orders is caused by abandoned orders.
63%
of refunded orders is on paid state.
Refunded caused by abandoned orders signify orders that were automatically refunded by system upon expiration and most of it are consisting of unprocessed orders.
meanwhile canceled after paid state indicated that seller did not initially accept the orders.
How we help buyer get shorter time to get refund?
We devised obvious solution which is to reduce the time span from payment to refund.
Originally buyers had to endure waiting until the "SLA" to finished if sellers didn't accepted their cancelation request which often happen (solved with another project) or simply abandoned their order and potentially lasting up to 48 hours or longer.
Our aim is to enhance the system by minimizing the waiting period for buyers to receive refunds, enabling them to swiftly proceed with purchasing from other sellers, ultimately aimed at decreasing the number of outstanding orders awaiting remittance.
Our strategy involves implementing an additional deadline for sellers to accept orders. The key assumptions behind this decision are twofold:
1.
Accelerated Action: We anticipate that the quicker sellers act on orders, the sooner buyers will receive assurance regarding the progression or cancellation of their orders.
2.
Backlog Reduction: By introducing this additional deadline, we aim to diminish the backlog of orders for sellers and reduce the number of abandoned orders.
However, simply adding a new deadline for our sellers could potentially lead to confusion.
Consequently, we opted to conduct research into how sellers typically utilize the order page. By understanding their behavior, we aim to implement the new rules in a manner that is clear and comprehensible to them.
Research result
No urgency from seller
Through interviews conducted with sellers, we identified a notable trend where sellers frequently overlook order deadlines due to a lack of sense of urgency.
Sellers utilize single action most of the time
Based on the data, we discovered the following findings:
80%
sellers used single-action only
56%
Sellers used single action particularly in processing orders
Although orders were more likely abandoned in bulk action, but GMV loss from abandoned orders processed from bulk action were lesser than single action
Sellers are accustomised with the yellow box and the green circles
The yellow box serves as an indicator that actions are required on an order and green circles indicates the order steps
This yellow box is the first thing they see when processing orders. However, at times, they may not fully absorb the information contained within it.
SOLUTIONS
Seller Side Solutions
We aimed to keep adjustments to a minimum due to our plan to develop a standalone app for sellers and the consideration of Implementing multiple major changes could disrupt the established workflow of sellers.
Created 2 Types of deadline for sellers to accept order
We formulated the rules through data-driven experiments, simulating different scenarios that factored in elements such as acceptance duration, courier type, and pre-order orders.
These experiments were instrumental in identifying the optimal rules for efficient management of order deadlines, considering potential GMV loss and various variables.
time to process (SLA) >= 48 hr
Deadline to accept
=
24 hours from incoming order
time to process (SLA) < 48 hr
Deadline to accept
=
Deadline to ship the order
Different colors of the action bar and time stamp
In order to heighten seller awareness regarding the urgency of order processing, we implemented a color-coding system. When the timestamp turns red, it indicates that the seller has less than 10 hours remaining to process the order.
This change in color acts as a clear signal, prompting sellers to recognize the need for immediate action and prioritize and expedite their order processing tasks.
We kept the yellow box and the green circles because it wouldn't be necessary to remove those.
red is for < 10 hrs
black is for >= 10 hrs
<10 hours
X minutes
<10 hours
X hours 0 minutes
<24 hours
X hours X minutes
> 24 hours
X Days
>= 24hours
X Days 0 Hours
>=24 hours
X Days Y Hours 0 Minutes
>=24 hours
X Days 0 Hours 0 Minutes
>=24 hours
X Days Y Minutes Z Minutes
Categorizations of the "yellow box"
Although we still try to keep the "yellow box" but we thought its better to elevate the design. Therefore, due to the diverse range of order statuses, we found it necessary to categorize them. This categorization enabled sellers to quickly identify and comprehend the status of their orders at a glance.
yellow bar
The color scheme for indicating action needed from the seller in normal orders has been in use since 2017. User interviews have shown that most of our users are already familiar with this color scheme and effectively use it to identify when action is required on an order.
no bar
received order
grey bar
R
red bar
Red indicates errors or urgent actions needed for orders in erroneous states, like wrong receipt numbers or complaints.
This color choice enhances the perception of urgency for the seller.
Adjusted the order lists to make time cue more prominent
We created rules on the order list which are:
1.
by default the order was sorted from the shortest deadline
2.
If there's red bar with same deadline, then red bar will be shown on top
3.
grey bar and no-bar will be at the bottom
These rules are important since we couldn't separate the order cards into different tabs due to the standalone app plan.
Before
all cards showed same yellow box
After
action cards are on different colors match the status accordingly
Research result
Sellers did not even notice the notification
Through interviews conducted with sellers, it became evident that at times, sellers tended to overlook notifications, potentially leading to order abandonment.
SOLUTIONS
Added info of refund time to our buyer
So they could rest assured about potentially faster refund times.
Before
No info on refund
Detail Pembelian
Alamat Pengiriman
Informasi Pembelian
Nando Store
Chat
NOMOR TRANSAKSI
170418057871
Menunggu Diproses Pelapak
Lihat Detail
CATATAN PELAPAK
Saya request yang warna pink polos ya
Invisible Book Wall Decoration
Ukuran: S, Warna: Hitam
Jumlah: 1
Total Harga: Rp203.000
Batalkan Transaksi
Butuh Bantuan? BukaBantuan
Change email design
Simple and straightforward email with time constraints to process order shown on the title.
Before
After
IMpact
I departed from the company before closely tracking the feature's impact on our sellers, so I lack specific details.
Yet, we ran tests with a select group of sellers, and their initial feedback was encouraging. They noted that the feature helped them prioritize orders and identify those needing prompt attention.
takeaways
To improve the user experience for sellers, we opted for a strategy of minimal and focused changes, one action at a time. Our goal was to limit each update's scope, minimizing disruption and reducing the necessity for frequent design adjustments.
This incremental approach ensured a seamless transition and an improved overall experience for our sellers.