My Own Store

The Challenge

Running a solo e-commerce business in the Polish stationery and arts & crafts market meant wearing every hat — from sourcing and inventory to marketing, UX, and customer support. With no team and no external funding, every decision had to be deliberate.

The key challenges I faced:

• Low conversion rate of 0.18% — well below industry benchmarks
• 75% of traffic came from mobile devices, but the shopping experience wasn't optimized for it
• Pricing challenges in a competitive market with thin margins
• Grey market competition from unauthorized resellers undercutting prices

Market Research

My target audience was women aged 25–55 in Poland, primarily interested in stationery, arts, and craft supplies. Through analytics, surveys, and direct customer conversations, I identified several key insights:

• Evening shopping hours dominated — most orders came between 8 PM and 11 PM
• Strong preference for local delivery options, especially Parcel Lockers
• Product information was critical — customers wanted detailed descriptions, dimensions, and usage examples before purchasing
• Mobile-first behavior was the norm, not the exception

Improvements I Made

Enhanced Shopping Flow

I replaced the full-page cart redirect with a side drawer cart. This kept customers in their browsing flow and reduced the friction of adding items. Instead of being pulled away from the product catalog every time they added something, shoppers could review their cart without losing context.

Streamlined Checkout

I consolidated the multi-step checkout into a single-page experience with integrated Parcel Locker selection. Since local delivery was the top preference among my customers, making Parcel Locker selection seamless and prominent was essential. This removed unnecessary steps and reduced checkout abandonment.

Strategic Pricing

I raised the free shipping threshold from PLN 70 to PLN 150, and communicated this at 4 key touchpoints throughout the shopping journey: on product pages, in the side drawer cart, at checkout, and in promotional banners. This encouraged larger orders and directly improved average order value.

Better Mobile Experience

With 85% of traffic coming from mobile devices, I redesigned the entire shopping experience mobile-first. This meant rethinking navigation, product grids, image sizing, and touch targets — not just scaling down the desktop version. Every interaction was designed for thumbs first.

Why I closed it

To sustain the business long-term, I needed to reach approximately PLN 28,000 per month in revenue. While the store was growing and the unit economics were improving, external factors made the path forward uncertain.

Geopolitical instability — particularly the war in Ukraine and its impact on supply chains, consumer confidence, and operating costs in Poland — added significant risk to a business that was still scaling.

I made the deliberate decision to close the store rather than let it wind down. It was a business decision, not a failure — I chose to reallocate my time and energy toward opportunities with a clearer path to impact.