B2B Client Portal: Maximizing Marketing Value
CLIENT PORTAL DESIGN AND UX CASE STUDY – MADE WITH REWARDS NETWORK
TL;DR
Design a “Proof of Marketing” client portal module that would give merchants exclusive insights into national and locally focused marketing efforts across the 20+ nationwide dining programs currently in market.
MY ROLE
UX Strategy, Creative Direction, Product Workshops, User Testing, Design Thinking, Web Design, Design System, Development Handover, Workshop Development Gaps
PEOPLE
1x Product Designer
1x Graphic Designer
1x Product Managers
4x Software Developers
TIMELINE
2-3 Months
Rewards Network, a top player in restaurant fintech, set out to level up its client portal with a "Proof of Marketing" module. The goal? Give restaurant owners an inside look at nationwide and local marketing efforts while making it easy to manage their custom restaurant details.
But here's the inside story: Many new restaurant partners were calling it quits soon after joining Rewards Network. Why? They weren't seeing the ongoing value. The existing client portal couldn't show them the real-time marketing magic, leaving them in the dark about the perks of partnership. These restaurant owners in the Rewards Network family wanted to know what they were getting from the marketing services.
We rolled up our sleeves and built a aptly titled Proof-of-marketing module. It included real-time data, analytics, and live marketing examples on various channels. Plus, we added some automation to keep content fresh without extra effort. We tackled UX, data handling, marketing, and development challenges head-on. The result was a bridge over the value gap, showing off marketing campaigns, boosting engagement, and proving that the partnership was a win-win, with the metrics to back it up.
THE CHALLENGE
Clients can’t measure the value of what they don’t understand
Streamlining marketing campaigns in 16+ national dining loyalty programs with over 100 active campaigns posed a significant challenge. We aimed to create a user-friendly solution that highlighted these efforts while reducing the workload for our Creative and Development teams.
Our goal was to seamlessly present marketing information in a concise portal interface without overloading busy independent restaurant owners and managers. We focused on delivering vital information within their demanding day-to-day operations, considering their primary focus on customer service.
USER NEEDS + APPROACH
Our focus: Owners using our Marketing Services, with a secondary emphasis on cash customers. Both groups lacked understanding of marketing efforts, limiting their perception of value.
Given business owners' time constraints, we highlighted key details: a vast network of 20 million members, 16+ loyalty programs, and ongoing marketing initiatives like limited-time offers, bonuses, and sweepstakes. This increased awareness and enhanced merchant retention. Our national sales teams utilized this feature as a tool for showcasing ongoing and upcoming efforts, serving as a prospecting and customer retention mechanism.
BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
In close collaboration with Product and Marketing teams, we strategically aligned our efforts to propose compelling UX and visual concepts that matched our business objectives. Our scope included implementing an automated workflow for delivering web and email creative samples to merchants, ensuring dining members' personal information remained protected. Success was measured by reducing merchant churn through the "Proof of Value" email series while also lowering operational costs and increasing portal engagement.
STRUCTURE OVERVIEW
The client portal didn't effectively present marketing materials, offering access to management documents and data but failing to show how they related to the marketing materials. The existing sitemap demonstrated this limited access and information flow. Our goal was not only to emphasize marketing efforts but also to enable merchants to quickly edit outdated restaurant details within the same module.
IN-MARKET CONTENT AUDIT
Our goal was to provide merchants with a clear understanding of their marketing presence and impact across channels like email and web touchpoints. We sought to emphasize member engagement and showcase the program's value. To achieve this, we performed a thorough content audit and outlined all proposed content, covering introductions, instructions, data points, and product examples. This alignment laid a solid foundation before diving into detailed wireframes. Below I created a audit of proposed content that was aligned upon by the sales, marketing and product teams.
REVISED SITE STRUCTURE & FLOW
To simplify the structure and consolidate marketing functions, we integrated the 'Proof of Marketing' module as a subsection within the existing Marketing section. This approach addressed all marketing needs, from awareness to data management and content editing, in one place.
Additionally, we devised a plan to launch an MVP version of the module, ensuring an iterative building process for future enhancements and robust features. Our primary areas of focus in this stage included frontend integration with React, backend integration, strategic design for MVP and iterative improvements, and alignment with the digital product vision.
Site Map
User Flow
