the problem

meterboxesdirect.co.uk had been patched for years without a coherent design strategy — cluttered, inconsistent, and actively losing customers. DIY buyers couldn't find products. Trade customers hit friction at every step. With a 55% bounce rate well above the 20–45% eCommerce benchmark, sales had stalled.

my approach

Working within budget and platform constraints, I audited 5 Magento themes before selecting one that could support both user journeys. I consolidated three competing navigation systems into one, elevated search for trade users, and rebuilt trust into the product pages with delivery information, returns policy, and recognised payment icons — signals that were entirely absent before.

results

Bounce rate dropped from 55% to 25%. Organic traffic grew by 20%. Sales exceeded annual revenue targets within months of launch.

reflection

If I had more time, I'd build a custom mobile experience from scratch. Mobile behaviour between DIY and trade users is meaningfully different — and that's a UX problem worth solving properly.