Customers are uncertain if they have an account
This project request was submitted to the UX team detailing a discovery that Caleres' customers were getting stuck at the login/registration page. Within a 6-month span, more than 100K of customers attempted a password reset only to discover they didn't have an account at all. Some received a delayed "no account found" email; others got nothing.
Instant feedback eliminating the second guessing
A solution included in the request was to advise customers whether their email was tied to an existing account or if they had to create one. However, to improve upon this solution, I proposed timely feedback messages corresponding to a customer's login/registration journey. These messages were introduced to provide further context for a customer's place throughout this experience alongside my newly developed pages.
Results exceeded expectations across every metric
Sign-in success rates climbed significantly across brands, with some seeing increases of roughly 40% or more, while password reset success surged by an estimated 150–200%. Orders placed while logged in increased substantially, with top brands seeing lifts of approximately 75%. Errors per visit dropped nearly 50% sitewide, and new account registrations rose roughly 25% — even as overall site traffic declined year-over-year. Consumer care contacts related to login and password issues fell by an estimated 40%.
The customer experience impact was equally strong. VOC data showed a notable drop in account/login complaints with a +1,200 bps improvement in CSAT, and password-related comments decreased significantly with a +900 bps CSAT gain — changes that dwarf the year-over-year baseline of +100 bps. These outcomes validated the core hypothesis: solving the problem at the point of friction, rather than downstream through email or support, is the more effective and respectful experience.
