Scaling Sobeys' digital shopping experience for 1M+ monthly users
Role
Senior Product Designer
Timeline
6 months
Team
Shannon M. · Valerie C.
Avinash R. · Justin C.
Tools
Figma, FigJam,
ChatGPT
Overview
Senior Product Designer working on key features to increase digital engagement & drive in-store traffic. Empire hired IBM to redesign with a multichannel approach across Sobeys, IGA, Foodland, FreshCO, Safeway, and ThriftyFoods.
Problem
Multiple fragmented flows caused high drop-offs. Sobeys' online presence was falling behind its competitors. The time for change had come.
Outcome
Increased engagement by 11 percent month-over-month (Aug → Sep 2025). Shopping list now live on Sobeys and Safeway. Rolling out to IGA, ThriftyFoods, Foodland, and FreshCo soon.
Identity & Trust
Integrating Scene+ loyalty into the Sobeys account experience
Users lacked a clear pathway to view and connect their Scene+ account, limiting point accrual and reducing visibility into loyalty value.
After · Scene+ account experience redesign
Before · Scene+ account structure gaps causing poor experience
Conversion & Discovery
Leveraging visual hierarchy to drive promotions and loyalty on the product details page
The previous experience lacked a product catalogue, limiting discovery to static flyer browsing. The redesign introduced a structured product catalogue with optimized visual hierarchy to highlight key deals and Scene+ offers while streamlining add-to-list and pickup/delivery options.
After · Product details page with optimized visual hierarchy
Before · Sobeys lacked a product catalogue, limiting discovery
Discovery & Wayfinding
Redesigning the store locator to improve pricing accuracy and inventory confidence
The original experience prioritized a dense results grid, requiring users to scan multiple store cards to find relevant details. The redesign shifts to a selected-store model, surfacing key information, services, and primary actions within a focused context panel to reduce friction and improve clarity.
After · Redesigned store locator with persistent store context
Before · Dense results grid causing high cognitive load
Retention & Habit Forming
Designing the shopping list for long-term loyalty and retention
With only 5% adoption, the static and unusable shopping list failed to drive meaningful engagement. I reimagined the experience around a deals-first strategy, enabling effortless item saving and seamless redirection to Voila.ca for pickup or delivery, while positioning the tool for continuous usage and long-term customer loyalty.
After · Shopping list redesigned as a deals-first, habit-forming experience
Before · Static list with no inline deals, quantities, or actions
Process
Leveraging AI to move faster and think deeper
I leveraged AI throughout the design process to accelerate content creation, explore edge and error states, and stress-test user flows across complex scenarios.
Main tool: ChatGPT — Used to rapidly generate copy variants, simulate edge cases, and pressure-test flow logic against real user scenarios at scale.
Increased engagement by 11 percent month-over-month. Shopping list now live on Sobeys and Safeway — rolling out across all six grocery brands.
Key Learnings & Reflection
Main takeaways
Engagement requires incentive
Users didn't disengage because they didn't need a shopping list — they disengaged because the experience offered no immediate value. Without visible savings, loyalty rewards, or a clear path to purchase, there was little incentive to return. Designing for engagement meant embedding tangible benefits directly within the list experience.
Loyalty is earned through utility
Loyalty features must do more than exist — they must support real behaviours. By integrating pricing, rewards, and Voila.ca into the site, the experience became a functional bridge between browsing and purchase, reinforcing repeat engagement.
Say hi!
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Sent up & away… I'll be in touch soon!