Transforming the Homepage into a Hub for Pet Care Services

Summary

The homepage was previously a static e-commerce storefront, missing opportunities to cross-sell services like vet care, grooming, and subscriptions. My challenge was to redesign it as a unified hub that guided users through the brand’s ecosystem.

Key Outcomes:

• Estimated £1.3M in annual subscription opportunity once fully deployed

• A/B testing validated increased engagement and service conversions

• Improved awareness of pet care services among customers

• Encouraged repeat visits and exploration through a modular, personalised layout

The Challenge: Making the Homepage Work Harder

While the brand offered a full ecosystem of pet care services, the homepage only showcased products. Users were unaware of subscriptions and services, and engagement beyond e-commerce was low.

My challenge was to design a homepage that:

• Communicated the full brand offering

• Guided users to both products and services

• Maintained clarity despite multiple goals

• Enabled future personalisation and campaigns

Understanding Users and Their Needs

I led a discovery phase that combined both qualitative and quantitative research:

• Customer interviews to understand pet owners’ motivations and needs

• Analytics review to identify low-engagement areas and bounce points

• Competitor benchmarking to explore best practices for multi-offering platforms

Key insights from research:

• Users perceived the homepage as product-only, missing services entirely

• Awareness of subscriptions was low; users didn’t understand their value

• Personalised content and modular layouts increased engagement and repeat visits

These insights informed the homepage redesign strategy, guiding layout, information hierarchy, and messaging tone.

Designing a Dynamic Homepage

I developed wireframes and prototypes emphasizing modular sections that balanced products, services, and subscriptions:

• Service-first placement: Highlighting subscriptions and services above the fold

• Modular architecture: Flexible blocks allowed personalization and campaign rotations without redesign

• Iterative testing: Pet owners validated layouts, clarity, and call-to-action messaging

• Clear paths to conversion: Ensured users could quickly navigate to products, services, or subscriptions

Critical design decisions included prioritizing awareness of services while maintaining a clear e-commerce focus, and using modular content blocks for flexibility and scalability.

Building a Scalable System

Alongside the redesign, I created a modular component library to maintain consistency and ease future updates:

• Components were reusable and adaptable for different campaigns

• Layout supported personalization based on pet type or user behavior

• Ensured consistency across desktop and mobile experiences

Outcomes & Impact

The redesigned homepage delivered measurable improvements for both users and the business:

• £1.3M in potential subscription revenue identified

• A/B testing confirmed higher engagement and conversion for services and subscriptions

• Increased awareness of Pets at Home as a holistic pet care provider

• Modular design allows for quick updates and personalised content without redesigning

Beyond metrics, the homepage made the brand feel cohesive, approachable, and supportive, guiding pet owners to the right services while retaining clear paths to purchase.

Reflection

This project reinforced that UX is a strategic driver, not just an interface solution. By combining research, modular design, and iterative testing, I created a homepage that improved engagement, unlocked revenue potential, and supported long-term personalization.

It showed that thoughtful UX can reshape brand perception, helping users discover the full ecosystem while delivering measurable business value.