Mobile eCommerce Replay Analysis

Client: Torrid
Project: Mobile eCommerce Session Replay Analysis
Method: Session Replay Analysis + Voice-of-Customer Review
Duration: 20 hours

Quick Summary (PIR)

Problem
Mobile users on Torrid’s site encountered repeated issues with performance, login reliability, product discovery, and cart behavior. These failures disrupted basic shopping flows and made the experience feel unstable, even for motivated users.

Implication
When core shopping functionality breaks down, trust erodes quickly. Users struggled to find products, stay logged in, and complete purchases, leading to abandoned carts and lost confidence during high-intent sessions.

Recommendation
Conduct targeted session replay analysis paired with customer survey feedback to observe real mobile shopping behavior, identify where workflows break down, and deliver behavior-backed recommendations to stabilize the mobile eCommerce experience.

Project Background

As part of a usability engagement with Torrid, I conducted a targeted mobile replay analysis to identify breakdowns in the eCommerce experience. The review combined session replays with open-ended customer survey comments to surface real, behavior-backed usability issues affecting shopping, login, and checkout.

Using Verint’s internal digital behavior analytics tools, the client team requested a focused replay review to better understand where mobile shopping sessions were failing.

The goal was to move beyond symptoms and pinpoint exactly where and why high-intent mobile sessions were breaking down.

My Role

I served as the usability analyst on this project.

Over approximately twenty hours, I reviewed dozens of mobile session replays using Verint’s digital behavior analytics tools and mapped observed behaviors directly to customer complaints surfaced in survey feedback.

I synthesized the findings into usability themes and presented the results during a live client call alongside the data analyst and customer service lead, using replay clips to walk stakeholders through each issue and its impact.

Evaluation Scope

The analysis focused exclusively on Torrid’s mobile web experience, prioritizing workflows tied directly to customer complaints.

Areas reviewed included:

• Search and product listing pages

• Product discovery and filtering behavior

• Login and authentication flows

• Wishlist interactions

• Shopping bag/cart behavior

• Checkout attempts

The work prioritized moments where users expected reliability but encountered friction instead.

Methodology

The analysis combined session replay review with Voice-of-Customer survey feedback using Verint’s internal Digital Behavior Analytics tools.

Open-ended customer survey comments were first reviewed to identify recurring pain points. These comments were then used to guide which session replays to review, ensuring the analysis stayed anchored to real customer experiences.

By pairing survey feedback with behavioral observation, it became possible to see exactly where users encountered friction and what actions triggered those frustrations.

Key Insights

Several patterns emerged while reviewing mobile shopping sessions.

First, many customer complaints were tied to reliability issues rather than confusion. Users generally understood what they were trying to do but encountered interruptions that prevented them from completing tasks.

Second, issues affecting session continuity, such as login interruptions or cart instability, had a disproportionate impact on user trust. Even small disruptions during high-intent shopping sessions quickly caused users to abandon their actions.

Finally, replay analysis proved particularly effective when paired with Voice-of-Customer feedback, allowing the team to connect reported frustrations directly to observable behavior.

Key Findings

Findings were organized into five key usability areas.

Site Performance
Product images occasionally failed to load on search and listing pages. Some screens appeared slow to respond or did not register scroll input.

Login Reliability
Users were logged out mid-session or repeatedly prompted to log in while interacting with wishlists or attempting checkout.

Cart Functionality
Items occasionally failed to add to the shopping bag, disappeared after being added, or were lost when login interruptions occurred.

Product Discovery
Search results sometimes displayed products inconsistent with filter selections. Filtering controls behaved unpredictably, and availability information varied depending on navigation path.

Interaction Clarity
The search input field lacked clear visual affordance, making it less recognizable as a primary entry point for product discovery.

Recommendations

Based on observed behavior patterns, several improvements were recommended:

• Strengthen product image loading reliability across listing and search pages

• Improve login session persistence to reduce repeated authentication prompts

• Stabilize cart functionality to ensure items remain visible and recoverable

• Align search results with filtering logic to support consistent product discovery

• Improve visual affordance of the search input field to support faster discovery

Each recommendation was supported with session replay clips illustrating the usability breakdown and the resulting user impact.

Outcome / Impact

Findings were presented to the client team during a live review session alongside the data analyst and customer service lead. Replay clips were used to demonstrate each usability issue and illustrate how the behavior affected the mobile shopping experience.

The session replay examples helped stakeholders quickly align on where core shopping workflows were failing and which issues required immediate attention.

Several issues were addressed following the presentation, including fixes related to horizontal scrolling and image reliability.

While not all issues were confirmed resolved immediately, the findings were well received and used to guide additional improvements to the mobile shopping experience.