RESERVEBAR
Founded in 2012, ReserveBar is a luxury e-commerce company focused on the gifting of premium spirits and Champagne.
I was a member of the core team responsible for the development, growth, and identity of this startup to a luxury ecommerce leader.
The information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of ReserveBar.
Building a Trailblazing E-Commerce Company in a Highly Regulated Industry
THE CHALLENGE
The alcohol beverage industry in the U.S. has a three-tier distribution system governed by state regulations and shipping restrictions. The nascent alcohol e-commerce space was relatively small due to this complexity.
ReserveBar was one of the first e-commerce platforms in this space.
The challenge was to position ReserveBar as (1) the premier gifting & delivery service for customers, (2) the strategic digital marketing partner for brands. My role was to expand the design opportunities and elevate the vision of the site, emphasizing a luxury experience while respecting each brand’s unique identity.
MY ROLE
I joined ReserveBar in its second year of operation as the Creative Content Director. I closely collaborated with the ReserveBar executive, digital strategy, brand partnership, and operations teams as well as the SDG design and development teams to define and solve problems. Main areas of responsibility included:
UX Design (personas, flows, research, analysis, testing)
Creative Content (visual design, copywriting)
Brand Onboarding
Digital Marketing (SEO/SEM)
Project & Workflow Management
Creative Content Team Management
DATE
Sept 2013 - Nov 2018
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
We conducted customer, competitor, and market research to understand context, develop empathy with customers, and identify the pain points of the original site. Here are the key insights that defined the rebranding, redesign, and replatform of ReserveBar.
ELEVATION
Quiet, understated luxury. The experience is analogous to a tasting event where the atmosphere is welcoming, the presentation is educational, and the service is exceptional.
AUTHENTICITY
Acknowledge the customer’s great taste. Tell the brand's unique story. Customers are increasingly making purchases based on how much they relate to a brand's purpose, craft, and story.
REGULATION
Meet the regulatory challenges of alcohol sales and marketing. All content adheres to mandatory legal guidelines while promoting responsible decision making.
PERSONAL GIFTING
Celebrate special moments and relationships. Gift guides provide recommendations for any holiday or occasion.
CUSTOM ENGRAVING
Personal and personalized. Customers have the chance to customize the bottle making it a keepsake that lasts well beyond the celebration day.
CORPORATE GIFTING
Curated business gifting and concierge services. Showing appreciation for employees, clients, and colleagues helps cultivate stronger, mutually beneficial, relationships.
CUSTOM LANDING PAGES
Designing High Converting Landing Pages for Brands
Because brands can't sell alcohol directly to the customer, sites such as ReserveBar act as an intermediary. My first challenge was to understand the brand needs and requirements to create custom landing pages on ReserveBar. This involved close coordination with top brands in the industry and their digital agencies. The end goal was to create a consistent customer journey while building trust between the brand, customer, and ReserveBar.
I designed and coded over 150 custom landing pages (along with corresponding digital marketing) for new product launches, seasonal brand campaigns, and events. This set the stage for the successful rebranding and redesign of the ReserveBar website.
Custom landing pages as an extension of brands’ marketing
CUSTOM ENGRAVING PROGRAM
Providing Personalization on Gifts for All Occasions
Given the vision of a premier gifting website, ReserveBar offers custom engraving on bottles. As part of the cross-functional team that established the engraving program, I designed the virtual engraving sections on the product pages. As the customer typed, they could see their message on the bottle appear with the correct placement, typeface, and character limits. This added a delightful touch to their overall gift-giving experience.
The virtual engraving functionality was available on the original ReserveBar website. As the number of engravable products grew, the strategic decision was made to simplify the engraving section to just input fields.
(top) Original design
(bottom) Simplified redesign
WEBSITE REDESIGN & REPLATFORM
Creating an Online Shopping Experience for Luxury Brands and Discerning Customers
As customer traffic and the number of brands on the website increased, it was time for ReserveBar to upgrade to new e-commerce and business analytics platforms. The new website needed to reflect a more upscale experience similar to the custom landing pages that I had done for the brands.
HOMEPAGE REDESIGN
The homepage is the most visited page on the website, establishing credibility with customers, showcasing brand partnerships, and highlighting bestselling products. To create visual impact, the full-width marquee takes up the entire area above the fold and is dedicated to current marketing campaigns. Beneath the marquee, there is a section for ReserveBar’s unique selling propositions for gifting. Signature touts and featured product tiles provide additional opportunities for holiday and seasonal campaigns.
BRAND PAGE REDESIGN
The brand page draws the customer into the world of the brand with storytelling, high-quality imagery, and an overview of their range of products. I worked closely with brand partners, designing hero images as well as writing copy and sourcing quotes.
PRODUCT PAGE REDESIGN
The product detail page often serves as the main landing page for digital marketing campaigns. The enhanced product detail page includes product descriptions, tasting notes, brand origin story, videos featuring expert advice from bartenders, cocktail recipes, and additional product suggestions (such as glassware and gift packaging). This allows customers to make more informed purchasing decisions.
Product detail page, engraving section, and view cart screen
ECOMMERCE USER FLOW
The checkout user flow shows the steps to find the desired product, add a customized message to be engraved on the bottle, add the product to the cart, and move through the checkout process.
Given the complexities of alcohol sale regulations, customers needed information about delivery state restrictions and legal purchasing age verification.
(top) User flow from landing pages through checkout process
(bottom) User flow illustrated through final screenshots
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Working closely with the ReserveBar President, I created navigation based on analytics and strategic importance. Because spirits terminology and categories can be confusing (for example, whisky vs whiskey), I used analytics data to regularly refine search functionality and merchandising to help users move through the site for a seamless shopping experience.
Site navigation through the main menu and the footer menu
CONTENT & MARKETING
Connecting Customers to Established and Emerging Brands
As Creative Content Director, I oversaw the Creative Team and was responsible for onboarding, creating, iterating, managing, and promoting content across multiple channels. The content was designed to guide customers through the website and make informed purchases. Examples of content included:
optimized product descriptions and cocktail recipes
welcome email series
promotional email marketing segmented to appropriate customers
transactional email series and followup on purchases
tailored promotions
gift guides for every season and holiday
UX content: microcopy, menu, buttons, headings, instructions, checkout fields, digital interface copy
Ensuring Responsible Alcohol Marketing
I ensured all content followed the code of responsible practices for alcohol marketing including:
appealing to people only above the legal purchase age
depicting responsible consumption
ensuring good taste and cultural sensitivity
avoiding any encouragement of dangerous behavior
RESULTS
Established ReserveBar as a luxury e-commerce leader in the Alcohol Beverage Industry with official partnerships with the top global spirits suppliers
Introduced customers to the idea of purchasing spirits online as gifts through a highly successful engraving program and a substantial email marketing program
Ensured high-quality content and responsible practices for online alcohol marketing