The UX Challenge

Fabindia is a lifestyle brand with a legacy of over 60 years, with stores across the country retailing apparel, accessories, home décor, furniture, food and beauty products with an ethnic flavour. All their products are handmade by craftspeople across rural India.

Like most brands today, they had shifted to an online platform before the pandemic. During the pandemic, they had to shut their retail stores, forcing them to rely entire on their online experience. Being a trusted brand with a legacy of over 60 years, Fabindia did not have much trouble in terms of returning customers. They were, however, looking to broaden their customer base. After the first lockdown, they also noticed that most customers were purchasing home décor products and furniture, which meant they needed to shed the “kurta company” reputation.

Based on stakeholder interviews and best practice reviews, the key UX challenges were –

• Missing brand personality: Fabindia is a brand with a rich history and a unique offering – promoting sustainable, handcrafted products by empowering local artisans across India. None of this was highlighted online.
• Standard e-commerce template design: Nothing unique about the experience.
• Lack of persuasion: While Fabindia is a trusted brand, there was absolutely no validation for why a customer should purchase from Fabindia.