Crossword Bookstore Redesign|| UX Study
By: Nikhil Kamath
Tags: Ecommerce Website Design, UX, Redesign, Ui Ux Design, Website

This is a conceptual redesigning of the crossword bookstore website to make it easy, simple, and modern.

About Crossword

Crossword Bookstores Ltd. is a revolutionary Indian chain of bookstores in Mumbai. The first bookstore was established on October 15, 1992 in Kemps Corner, Mumbai. In 2005, Crossword became a wholly owned subsidiary of Shoppers Stop Ltd. It has now spread across 12 cities with 80 outlets.

CEO-Kinjal Shah

Est. Annual Revenue- ₹111.8Cr (2018)

Est. Employees- 260,000

Mission

The establishment of a nation-wide chain of large format department stores in India. Crossword has the customer as the center of all its decisions. It was a call to move away from the usual, dusty, and cramped stores to spacious and open retail spaces which meant innovation in terms of design and layout with clear signage and fixtures. Adding to the experience, it pioneered the concept of an in-house cafe at few of its stores.

Vision

Crossword aims to be a point of cultural and social interaction where authors and poets hold court, where children are regaled, where people gravitate to be informed, to be entertained, and even enlightened. The name embodies the vision of Crossword as a place and space for people who seek information, knowledge or just the pleasure of reading. Crossword aims to be at the top of the book market online and offline within the time frame of 5–7 years.

Operational cities

Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bengaluru, Mangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Mumbai Airport, Navi Mumbai, Goa, Gandhinagar, Gurgaon, Surat, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune, Siliguri, Raipur, Udaipur, Noida, Vadodara.

Unique Selling Point

The whole dynamic of Crossword is to allow people to sit and read with no compulsion. At a time when as we go to a clothes store, we have their employees hovering around us trying to actually sweet talk or manipulate us to buy the goods there. We feel mentally guilty because we are checking or trying out clothes in a clothes store and have somebody hovering us pursuing us to buy the goods .

Crossword does exactly the opposite: nobody hovers around you . You are welcome and made to feel comfortable to go around and spend time reading whatever you wish to and sit there for hours browsing with no questions asked. Read whatever catches your fancy. Spend time around books and just read.

This in itself gives one their freedom and when any book catches his/her attention, no bibliophile will walk away without buying it . In fact, most people end up buying more than intended as it catches their attention while browsing. Much like that of a hypermarket where you end up always buying more than what you need for your kitchen or home. This USP in fact attracts the buyers to spend time in turn making them loyal customers. This increases the profit for the organisation.

Client base

Crossword has targeted a wider audience with its unique product portfolio. It is undoubtedly a great bookstore with a wide range of books and magazines for every age-group. They not only sell books and magazines but also games for kids and accessories for all.

Consumer segmentation

Children(5–15): accompanied with parent(s). Only interested in the children’s section and the toys. Needs: attractive display Young browsers(16–25): frequent visits with friends to pass the time. Don’t care about the variety of books. Needs: attractive display Family shoppers(26–40): come with family, look for a variety of categories and books. Needs: good ambience Book lovers(teens and adults): usually visit alone, high book purchase intention, frequent visits. Needs: the variety of books/ vast collection, good ambience, seating arrangements, no disturbances. Most customers are from tier 1 cities because the stores are mainly based there, though they have claimed that they will be expanding to tier 2 and 3 cities.

Needs of the customers VS the brand

Customers’ needs:

Wide range of products and categories Quality of books/ toys/accessories (not damaged during shipping) Affordable prices Genuine products (not second hand or fake) Timely delivery Good return policies Friendly and easily accessible customer care service

Brand’s needs

Increased brand recognition Good yearly revenue Increased market share Increased trust from customers’ end/ and increased client experience Having a smooth flow of all supply chain channels

Products

Books- autobiographies, biography, political science, religion, art Baby products and Toys kids- cradles, games, diapers, bags Computers & Accessories- router, data card, mouse, keyboard, laptop bag, adapters Kitchen and Home Appliances- iron, vacuum cleaner Entertainment and Cameras- gaming consoles, gaming headsets, binoculars, lens cleaners Tablets and Mobiles- chargers, screen protectors, headsets Furnishings and Home décor- cleaning products, CFL lights, emergency lights Auto Accessories- amplifiers, car-CD player, mats Travel accessories and bags- school bags, sling bags, neck pillow, ear plug Office and school supply- folders, files, notebooks, diaries, pencils, pen.

Competitors

Amazon Flipkart Barnes & Noble Odyssey Landmark

Flipkart is the most preferred online bookstore because of convenience, discounts, and cash on delivery. The average online purchase amount is higher than the average in-store purchase amount. Other competitors include B&N, Landmark and Odyssey, all of which operate mainly through physical stores. They are positioned as a leisure store, with books not being the only main selling point. Stores such as Barnes & Noble, Landmark, and Odyssey also sell video games and movie CDs, which Crossword does not.

Stakeholders

Customer- The people buying the products. Developer- The people who build the website and make it look fresh. Retail suppliers- people supplying the products. Finance- people managing the money. Warehouses- a storage facility storing the products being sold on the site. Social media team- the team promoting the website. Transport suppliers- delivery men shipping the product to the customer’s home.

SWOT analysis

Strengths

Well known brand Spread over most metro cities Wide range of categories and wide range of books Wide product portfolio. They sell toys, office supplies, and electronics Products suited for all age groups

Weaknesses

No eBooks Expensive books (compared to other online stores) No second hand books The offers are misleading Membership is not fully functional and is misleading Website not segregated well and not designed for the current age They are operating only in major cities and not in tier 2 and 3 cities Predominantly operating through stores. As a result, website is sidelined

Opportunities

Clean up the website Add eBooks as an option on the website Book exchange program for members with reward points

Threats

Any eBook domain Second hand book selling websites Steady change in customers’ preference of medium

Current website layout