BASS PRO SHOPS IN-STORE CREDIT CARD APPLICATION

OCTOBER 2017 - JUNE 2018

As a member of the credit card application design team at Capital One, I had the opportunity to work on the in-store credit card application experience for Bass Pro Shops. The goal was to improve the in-store customer experience while increasing the number of approved credit card applications.

ABOUT BASS PRO SHOPS

Bass Pro Shops is a hunting, camping and fishing store. They have over 200 stores across North America, with 120 million customers visiting their stores each year. Their loyalty program is known as the CLUB Rewards program.

The Club Rewards program is a credit card that allows customers to earn points with every purchase, as well as receive special offers on merchandise and in-store events. In-store customers apply for the credit card at the CLUB Booth, with 3 million customers applying for the credit card in their stores each year. CLUB members spend between $10-15 thousand each year using their CLUB Rewards Credit Card.

In 2017, Capital One became the supporting bank for the CLUB rewards program. This is the connection between Bass Pro Shops and Capital One, and how I came to work on the in-store credit card application experience.

PREVIOUS APPLICATION EXPERIENCE

Over a series of store visits as well as metrics shared by Bass Pro Shops, my team and I came to learn that the previous application experience is a paper application the customer had to complete and give to an associate at the booth. The associate would then enter the customer’s information into a point of sale terminal at the CLUB Booth.

According to our research, the average time it took to complete the application from the time the customer fills out the paper application to receiving a decision was 30 minutes. It required concentration from the associate because a single typo into the point of sale terminal could lead to a pending decision. It also required patience from the customer as the associate enters their information into the terminal. The process was prone to human error and presented a security risk. The customer had to write their social security number on the paper application. If the application is not immediately destroyed after the associate enters the customer’s information into the point of sale terminal, it could get lost and even stolen. Customers then needed to wait to receive their card in the mail, which took weeks to arrive. During peak hours, associates may need to assist multiple customers at once. This lead to a pile-up of applications and slows down the entire application process.

These pain points meant that only 30% of customers were being approved for a CLUB Rewards credit card. Bass Pro Shops was not only losing potential CLUB members, but also losing $20-30 billion in annual spend.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Based on the information gathered from the in-store visits, and the insights from the data provided by Bass Pro Shops, I worked with a UX researcher and my product manager to create a series of design principles to help guide the design process.

The design principles include:

1. Emphasize the interaction between the customer and associate.

Bass Pro Shops customers come to the store to interact with the associates because they want the insight the associates provide. They get help and tips on the best gear and equipment available. It was important that the associate play a small part in the in-store credit card application experience.

2. Provide the associate and customer guidance during the process.

The design needs to include clear, straight forward instructions throughout the in-store credit card application process.

3. Don’t keep the customer waiting.

We want to get the customer through the experience as quickly as possible, and avoid long wait times at the CLUB Booth. It’s a waste of the customers time, and a potential loss of customer spend.

4. Privacy is key to the well-being of the customer.

We want the customers to have a sense of privacy, given they are filling out a credit card application that includes them needing to input information like their social security number, address, and phone number.

5. Celebrate the customer.

We want to congratulate in real time when the customer is approved for the credit card, and has been accepted into the CLUB Rewards program. It’s a celebratory moment for the customer as they can now receive special perks and benefits, as well as gives Bass Pro Shops a new CLUB member.

6. Set the customer up for success.

The customer should be presented with opportunities to use the credit card as soon as possible, as well as set up the customer up for success with the card.

As the Lead UX Designer, I was responsible for working with partners and stakeholders within Capital One and Bass Pro Shops to design and visualize the new in-store credit card application experience. Using the primary storyboard above to illustrate the proposed experience, we began designing around the interaction between the associates and the customers. Working with my product manager and the UX researcher, we proposed making changes to the in-store credit card application experience based on the insights gathered from the in-store visits, the insights from the data provided by Bass Pro Shops, and the design principles. Using storyboards, including the one above, I was able to visualize a new in-store credit card application, and shared this with stakeholders and partners at Capital One and Bass Pro Shops.

Originally, we wanted to have the customer complete the application on their mobile device on the sales floor with an associate. While we felt the sales floor would be most convenient for the customer, the wifi signal on the sales floor is weaker, making it harder to load an application on the customer’s mobile device. Having the customer complete the application on a tablet at the CLUB Booth, where the wifi is strongest, reduces the load time of the application. It also presents a strong association between the CLUB Booth and the CLUB Rewards program.

The new customer and associate experience consists of the following elements:

1. The application is completed by the customer on a tablet.

Completing the application on a tablet allows for a faster, more efficient experience for the customer and associate, while providing privacy and protecting the customer’s information

2. The application is instantly approved.

Using Capital One’s backend systems and processes for an instant approval saves the customer and associate time, while preventing the customer from needing to wait at the CLUB Booth for an extended period of time. It also presents the opportunity for the associate to celebrate in real-time with the customer that they have been accepted into the CLUB Rewards program.

3. The physical credit card is printed in the store.

Printing the credit card in-store prevents the customer from needing to wait for the card to arrive in the mail, and allows them to start using their card for in-store purchases that same day.

4. Customers can enroll in digital servicing on the approval page.

This is meant to set the customer up for success when using their credit card and paying off their bill.

5. Leverage Capital One's existing technological capabilities.

The credit card application platform, built in-house by Capital One, would allow customers to safely apply for the Bass Pro Shops credit card, while also allowing Bass Pro Shops to scale the experience to every store. The platform would not only be used for the in-store experience, but also for it’s web and mobile credit card application experiences.

6. Use tablets for the in-store experience.

Tablets allow for portability as well as an efficient, seamless experience for both associates and customers. It protects the customer's personal information by getting rid of a physical copy of the application.

After working with Bass Pro Shops to finalize the overall experience, I needed to design the actual user interface of the credit card application. What you see above are initial designs I made to help visualize the new credit card application across desktop, tablet, and mobile. I created the three viewport versions of the design in order to think about how it would scale not just on tablets, but also on desktop and mobile. In addition to the backend processes allowing for an instant approval, the in-store application would utilize existing components found on Capital One’s credit card applications.

I advocated and pushed for the use of Capital One’s components because they provide the ability for Bass Pro Shops to use their branding in the credit card application, while still adhering to the backend processes that allow for instant approval. Using preprogramed components also prevents needing to hardcode the application, making it less likely to break, as well as making it easier to implement across all stores.

Finally, I created an experience map to visualize the entire customer experience from start to finish. The experience map is meant to communicate how the application steps are not constrained to the original application experience. It provides a document I can use to get alignment amongst partners and stakeholders, shows how the application experience is modular, and that steps can be moved to different parts of the experience in order to improve upon the associate and customer experience.

USER TESTING

Before we could implement the final designs, we needed to push the screens into a prototype for user testing and validation. I worked with a UX researcher, my product manager, as well as an engineering lead to conduct in-store testing of the redesigned credit card application experience. We wanted to get feedback and validation from both Bass Pro Shops’ customers and in-store employees.

Based on the feedback we received, customers felt the experience was quick, simple and a standard application process. Some of the following feedback included:

1. The application on the tablet felt more secure and easier to complete than the paper application.

2. Customers felt confident while interacting with the associate.

3. Seeing an instant approval as well as receiving the newly printed card was a peak moment in the experience.

Associates and managers also provided positive feedback, including:

1. Lower risk of human error in the process.

2. Less paperwork needed to complete the process.

3. The digital experience was faster than the paper application.

4. Allows associates to assist multiple customers at the same time.

Each associate and manager who interacted with the prototype gave positive feedback. Their only ask was that Capital One provide detailed training modules to help train associates.

FINAL IN-STORE EXPERIENCE

After working with Bass Pro Shops and other stakeholders on the final launch plan, preparing associate training documents, and working with the engineering lead and their team to push the design into production, the in-store credit card application was released to the general public.

Application Verification

The application experience begins with the associate at the CLUB booth entering the referring associate’s ID number. This can be an associate on the sales floor or the associate assisting the customer at the booth. The application verification allows for Bass Pro to track referring associates in order to give credit where credit is due to the associate who ‘sells’ the customer the credit card. This screen also provides the associate guidance during the process.

The associate selects a tracking code. This code can be a promotion, or a special offer happening in the store. This also allows Bass Pro Shops to track at what point in the year the credit card application volume is highest.

ID Verification

ID verification is a security measure that prevents a fraudster from applying for a credit card under another person’s name. It allows associates to check the customer’s ID before the customer begins completing the application. In the previous experience, the ID was not checked until the customer completed the application. If the customer forgot their ID or could not provide it, they wasted time they could otherwise have avoided wasting.

This screen serves two purposes in that it provides associates and customers guidance during the process while protecting customers privacy when applying for the card.

Device Hand-Off

After the associate verifies the customer’s identity, the associate hands the tablet to the customer to begin completing the application.

This hand-off modal is one of many that prompts and guides the associate and customer through the application experience, allowing each to know when to hand the tablet back and forth throughout the credit card application experience.

Handing the tablet to the customer takes the burden off of the associate, protects the customer’s privacy during the experience, and prevents the customer from needing to wait for the associate to input the completed paper application into the point of sale terminal.

Application

The customer then completes the entire application process on the tablet. It allows the customer to safely complete the application in privacy, while remaining at the CLUB Booth. The application continues to provide guidance to the customer during the process, while reducing the amount of work the associate has to do in order for the application to be completed. This prevents the customer needing to wait for an associate to enter the application at the point of sale terminal.

Approval Page and Account Set Up

After the customer completes and submits the application, they hand the tablet back to the associate in order for the associate to inform the customer if they’ve been accepted into the CLUB. An approved customer receives a congratulatory page with a prompt to create a user name and password, and enroll in digital servicing. This not only celebrates the customer, but gives the associate the ability to celebrate with the customer.

Presenting the option to enroll in digital servicing allows a customer to pay their bills online. This sets the customer up for success, and gives them a way to manage their credit card and view their statements online.

The final in-store credit card application experience was built around not just the actual credit card application, but also the events leading up to the application and the steps following completion. The experience includes step-by-step instructions for both customers and associates. This reduces the cognitive load on the associates, while still assisting customers in completing the application.

With a faster application experience, customers are approved on the spot. They receive their physical card in the store thanks to the card embossers located in every Bass Pro Shops location. With customers receiving their cards upon approval, they can use their card for same day purchases.

SUCCESS METRICS

Since the launch of the new experience, 90% of customers who apply for the CLUB Rewards credit card in-store are approved. This increase in conversion means these newly approved customers generate over $27 billion in annual spend. The average application time is now 10 minutes. There are more customers joining the CLUB Rewards program than ever before. These new CLUB members are also new Capital One customers, presenting them additional services including banking, auto loans, and other credit cards. This experience scales not only to Bass Pro but to other Capital One retail partners.