eCommerce builder

Hostinger's website Builder for Online stores

Website builder is designed for users with little technical knowledge, allowing them to create and manage not just website, but also online stores in minutes. It provides all the essential tools for selling products or services, including payments and inventory management, empowering small businesses to easily launch their online presence.

Role: User Research, UX/UI Design, Design systems

Discovery and defintion

Hostinger became the number one website builder in the world in 2024, surpassing well-known brands like Wix and GoDaddy. It supports building websites or online stores for businesses ranging from SMBs to enterprises, as well as freelancers and agencies creating sites for their clients. After recently entering the eCommerce market, Hostinger faced challenges in onboarding new users and helping them start selling within the first 24 hours. This case study outlines how I contributed to solving those challenges.

Problem

During my time at Hostinger, my primary focus was on improving the overall experience for eCommerce users. We tracked clear metrics: adding the first product, setting up payments, updating company information, and reviewing shipping options. These four steps were part of the Store Manager’s onboarding process, designed to guide users through quickly. The goal was to help users start selling their products as fast as possible, ideally completing these steps within 24 hours, while improving each metric along the way.

Hypothesis

With clear metrics and the goal of improving user engagement within the first 24 hours, we developed a hypothesis on how to achieve this. One key metric showed that users often exited the Store Manager after creating their website to make edits, which supported our theory. In addition, we analyzed user reviews and conducted interviews to gain deeper insights into what could drive better engagement. Two major issues emerged: the old onboarding process failed to capture users’ attention, and payment setup was buried in a secondary menu. These insights shaped our strategy for improving the onboarding experience.

New Onboarding Process, Additional Step, & Improved Payment Visibility

Firstly, moving the Payments button to the main menu increased its engagement by 30%. However, this was just one of the four key metrics we were tracking. The second and third improvements involved updating the Store Manager’s onboarding stepper, which introduced a more engaging experience by displaying a progress bar at the top of the sidebar. The final enhancement in this phase was the addition of a new, optional step in the setup process. This step encouraged users to add their first product, allowing them to start selling faster and display their own product, rather than a demo, on their website.

Overall impact

From 25% to 50% Increase

Each metric increased by 20% to 50% from the initial numbers.

Visibility

It became clearer for users to track their progress in setting up their online store. The new UI and always-visible progress bar improved engagement and overall visibility throughout the process.

Clarity

The entire process became more guided and clear, directing users to specific actions while offering optional choices.

Is it enough?

But is that enough? Not quite. Additional improvements are needed, including gathering more user feedback and running more A/B tests to evaluate results. We need to explore all possible ways to better engage users with the Store Manager within the first 24 hours, such as linking them from the website editor back to the Store Manager or allowing direct Store Manager edits from the website editor, eliminating the need to switch between them. At the very least, simplifying navigation between the Website Editor and Store Manager is essential.

I've worked with.

All-In-One SaaS Booking
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The online booking management system for all service-based businesses. The system helps easier to track & manage each reservation, with better UX for clients to book the service they need.