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Debenhams’ E-Commerce UX
This is a case study of Debenhams’ e-commerce user experience (UX) performance. It’s based on an exhaustive performance review of 624 design elements. 92 other sites have also been benchmarked for a complete picture of the e-commerce UX landscape.
Debenhams’ overall e-commerce UX performance is mediocre. Debenhams’ UX performance in particular suffers from usability issues caused by poor Product Page, poor Product Lists & Filtering, and mediocre Cart & Checkout.
First benchmarked in April 2017, and reviewed 13 times since then, most recently July 2021.
Poor
Mediocre
Decent
Good
Perfect
Overall UX Performance
690 Guidelines · Performance:
Desktop Web
484 Guidelines · Performance:
Homepage & Category
59 Guidelines · Performance:
Homepage
15 Guidelines · Performance:
Category Taxonomy
13 Guidelines · Performance:
Main Navigation
16 Guidelines · Performance:
Intermediary Category Pages
6 Guidelines · Performance:
Site-Wide Layout
9 Guidelines · Performance:
On-Site Search
47 Guidelines · Performance:
Search Query Types
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Search Form & Logic
10 Guidelines · Performance:
Search Autocomplete
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Results Logic & Guidance
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Results Layout & Filtering
12 Guidelines · Performance:
Product Lists & Filtering
87 Guidelines · Performance:
Product Lists: Layout & Loading
14 Guidelines · Performance:
List Layout
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Loading Products
6 Guidelines · Performance:
List Items: Product Info & Thumbnails
18 Guidelines · Performance:
List Items: Product Info
9 Guidelines · Performance:
List Items: Product Thumbnails
9 Guidelines · Performance:
List Items: Interface & Hit Areas
12 Guidelines · Performance:
Filtering: Available Filters
11 Guidelines · Performance:
Filtering: Scope & Logic
11 Guidelines · Performance:
Filtering: Interface & Layout
11 Guidelines · Performance:
Sorting
10 Guidelines · Performance:
Product Page
96 Guidelines · Performance:
Product Page Layout
11 Guidelines · Performance:
Product Images
11 Guidelines · Performance:
Image Gallery UI
12 Guidelines · Performance:
Price, Purchase & Delivery
16 Guidelines · Performance:
The 'Buy' Section
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Shipping, Returns, and Gifting
7 Guidelines · Performance:
Product Variations
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Product Descriptions & Spec Sheet
15 Guidelines · Performance:
Product Descriptions
10 Guidelines · Performance:
Specifications Sheet
5 Guidelines · Performance:
User Reviews
13 Guidelines · Performance:
Cross-Sells & Cross-Navigation
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Cart & Checkout
130 Guidelines · Performance:
Shopping Cart & "Added to Cart" Behavior
10 Guidelines · Performance:
Account Selection & Creation
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Customer & Address Information
12 Guidelines · Performance:
Gifting Flow & Features
5 Guidelines · Performance:
Shipping & Store Pickup
11 Guidelines · Performance:
Payment Flow & Methods (Incl. Third-Party)
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Credit Card Form
10 Guidelines · Performance:
Order Review & Confirmation
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Order Review
5 Guidelines · Performance:
Order Confirmation & E-Mail
4 Guidelines · Performance:
Layout & Flow
23 Guidelines · Performance:
Form & Page Design
10 Guidelines · Performance:
User Interactions & Distractions
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Cross-Sells
4 Guidelines · Performance:
Validation Errors & Data Persistence
10 Guidelines · Performance:
Form Fields
23 Guidelines · Performance:
Field Labels & Microcopy
7 Guidelines · Performance:
Field Design & Features
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Default Values & Autocompletion
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Customer Accounts
40 Guidelines · Performance:
Account Drop-Down
7 Guidelines · Performance:
Account Dashboard
6 Guidelines · Performance:
Account Sign In
6 Guidelines · Performance:
'Your Account': Addresses, Payments, & Newsletters
13 Guidelines · Performance:
Account-Wide Navigation, Structure, & Information
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Order Tracking & Returns
25 Guidelines · Performance:
Place Order & Order Cancellation
5 Guidelines · Performance:
Order Tracking
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Order Returns
11 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Web
206 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Homepage
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Main Navigation & Categories
21 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Main Navigation
6 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Category Taxonomy
10 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Category Pages
5 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile On-Site Search
24 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Autocomplete
7 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Query Types
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Search Design & Logic
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Product List
48 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Product List Layout & Features
18 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Filtering
12 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile List Item Content
18 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Product Pages
13 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Product Page Layout
5 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile User Reviews
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Checkout
47 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Layout & Features
2 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Shopping Cart
4 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Account Selection & Creation
7 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile User Info
7 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Shipping & Store Pickup
6 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Payment
12 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Order Review & Confirmation
9 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Forms
26 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Form Fields
10 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Field Validation
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Input Optimization
8 Guidelines · Performance:
Mobile Site-Wide Features & Elements
19 Guidelines · Performance:
Like Debenhams, all 93 major e-commerce sites have been benchmarked across hundreds of guidelines, meaning the chart you’re seeing above summarizes 30,000+ usability ratings.
See methodology to read up on the evaluation criteria and scoring algorithm.
To read each guideline and review your own sites, you’ll need to get full access.
Debenhams’ Desktop E-Commerce Design
18 pages of Debenhams’ e-commerce site, marked up with 272 best practice examples:
Homepage & Category
Homepage
Homepage & Category
Drop-Down Menu
Homepage & Category
Top-Level Navigation, Intermediary Category Page
On-Site Search
Search Field
On-Site Search
Autocomplete Suggestions
On-Site Search
Search Results Page
On-Site Search
No Results Page
Product Lists & Filtering
Product List: Category
Product Lists & Filtering
Product List: Search
Product Lists & Filtering
Sorting Tool
Product Page
Product Page
Product Page
Product Page
Cart & Checkout
Cart
Cart & Checkout
Account
Cart & Checkout
Shipping Address
Cart & Checkout
Delivery & Shipping Methods
Cart & Checkout
Billing Address, Payment
Cart & Checkout
Order Confirmation
Debenhams’ Mobile E-Commerce Design
17 pages of Debenhams’ e-commerce site, marked up with 163 best practice examples:
Mobile E-Commerce
Homepage, Search Field
Mobile E-Commerce
Navigation Menu
Mobile E-Commerce
Navigation Menu
Mobile E-Commerce
Navigation Menu
Mobile E-Commerce
Search Autocomplete
Mobile E-Commerce
Search Results
Mobile E-Commerce
Product List
Mobile E-Commerce
Filtering Options
Mobile E-Commerce
Product Page
Mobile E-Commerce
Cart
Mobile E-Commerce
Checkout Account Selection
Mobile E-Commerce
Checkout Account Selection
Mobile E-Commerce
Shipping Method
Mobile E-Commerce
Shipping Address
Mobile E-Commerce
Shipping Method
Mobile E-Commerce
Payment Method
Mobile E-Commerce
Order Confirmation
Similar Case Studies
Explore similar case studies of Apparel & Accessories, Houseware & Furnishings, and Mass Merchant sites:
Tesco
Performance: 19.5
Pay special attention to:
Product Lists & Filtering
Mobile Web
H&M
Performance: 35.2
Pay special attention to:
Homepage & Category
Order Tracking & Returns
Gilt
Performance: 18.2
Pay special attention to:
Cart & Checkout
Product Lists & Filtering
Nike
Performance: 33.6
Pay special attention to:
Homepage & Category
Customer Accounts
Sears
Performance: 36.8
Pay special attention to:
Homepage & Category
Order Tracking & Returns
Crate & Barrel
Performance: 48.3
Pay special attention to:
Homepage & Category
Order Tracking & Returns
Explore Other Research Content
Every 2nd week, we publish a new article on how to build “state of the art” e-commerce experiences — here’s 5 popular ones:
Drop-Down Usability: When You Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Them
Format the ‘Expiration Date’ Fields Exactly the Same as the Physical Credit Card (90% Get It Wrong)
PDP UX: Core Product Content Is Overlooked in ‘Horizontal Tabs’ Layouts (Yet 28% of Sites Have This Layout)
Form Field Usability: Avoid Multi-Column Layouts (13% Get It Wrong)
Form Usability: Getting ‘Address Line 2’ Right
See all 300 articles in the full public archive.