Primark Co-Ords

Improving Product Discovery for Co-ordinated Outfits

Project Background

Primark’s digital shopping experience lacked a clear and intuitive way for customers to discover co-ordinated outfit sets ("co-ords"), despite having over 1,000–1,500 co-ord products in their Click + Collect catalog. Without visibility into matching items, users were unlikely to complete a look on their own—especially on mobile web, where browsing is more constrained.

This project was initiated to increase product discoverability, improve average transaction value (ATV), and support Primark’s Click & Collect (buying online and picking up in store) offering. Our goal was to surface co-ords more effectively on product detail pages (PDPs), especially as customers often needed to evaluate multiple products before committing.

Constraints

• Technical feasibility around stock-checks per item for C+C

• Inconsistent product tagging and data feeds

• No existing design pattern for matching sets

• Limited editorial input and manual coordination between product teams

Discovery

We began by grounding the project in research to understand user needs, industry patterns, and internal constraints.

activities

• Reviewed competitor journeys from ASOS, Zara, and H&M to benchmark best practices

• Mapped user pain points in the product detail page (PDP) experience

• Facilitated stakeholder interviews across design, tech, product, content, and buying to align on goals and feasibility

Key insights

• Users didn’t recognize the term “Co-ords” and were confused by how it was labeled and presented

• Many mistakenly assumed a single product image included both matching items

• Shoppers wanted an easy way to view and purchase a complete set without hunting for it

• Existing product recommendations were not contextually relevant or styled as true “outfits”

• There was clear frustration when matching items weren’t surfaced or were hard to find

Design

CURRENT State

Wireframes

Usability Testing

Objective

We ran a qualitative usability test to evaluate a new Co-ords feature prototype. Our key objectives were to:

• Assess two prototype versions for visual design, usability, and ease of adding products to the cart

• Identify which version users preferred

• Gather insights to inform the next design iteration

Methodology

Participants: 12 UK Female users, ages 20-50

Tool: Mobile survey via Userlytics

What we evaluated

• Ease of navigation and task completion, such as finding and adding the matching Co-ords to the cart

• User preference between the two prototypes, and reasons behind their choices

• Terminology and feature clarity

Findings / Insights

• Vertical scrolling was preferred over horizontal scrolling for browsing items, as it felt more intuitive and easier to navigate.

• Users found the process of adding matching bottoms straightforward and seamless in both prototypes.

• The presence of a matching items section reduced decision-making effort, with users saying it made shopping feel faster and easier.

• Users preferred to stay on the Product Detail Page (PDP) throughout the flow, rather than being redirected to a separate product page.

Recommendations

• Use vertical scrolling for product carousels and matching items sections

• Keep the matching items add-to-cart flow simple and visible

• Continue offering curated “Matching Items” or “Complete the Look” sections

• Keep users on the PDP during the entire outfit-building experience

A/B Testing

We ran an A/B test to see if adding a “Shop Set” section with matching Co-ords on product pages would make it easier for users to find and buy coordinated outfits, with the goal of increasing the average transaction value.

Hypothesis

We observed that “Co-ords” was a rising search term, indicating user intent to find matching outfit sets.
We hypothesized that by linking complementary Co-ords on PDPs, users would find matching items more easily and be more likely to purchase both items, increasing ATV.

Experiment Details

Duration: 29 days (Sept 17 – Oct 15, 2024)
Devices: All devices
Location: Product Detail Pages (PDPs)
KPI: Average Transaction Value (ATV)

Test Variant

• Control: Standard PDP with no linked Co-ords

• Variant: PDP with a "Complete the Look" section showing matched Co-ords

Results

Winter: Variant

Insights & Learnings

• Within the modal, the Co-ords product image drives engagement and conversions (7.21% tap rate), even more than the “Quick View” CTA (8.87% tap rate but lower attractiveness), highlighting the image’s key role in helping users convert.

• The Co-ords modal placed near the ‘similar items’ section achieved higher user exposure, indicating strategic placement matters.

Final Design

Reflection

This project taught me how complex it is to connect digital UX with physical retail systems. Although the design was simple for users, it needed close teamwork across many departments.

If I did this again, I’d push earlier for a centralized Co-ords tagging system and clearer content management to make scaling easier.

Overall, I strengthened my skills in leading cross-team UX strategy while balancing user needs, tech limits, and business goals.