Order Ahead Menu — Smashley's Portfolio

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Context & Challenge

Over the past two years, we ran a series of enhancements across specific Order Ahead categories on both web and app. However, the most impactful improvements were implemented only on web—where they drove a +6% increase in add-to-cart rate and a +5% lift in conversion in popular categories—leaving the app experience behind.

On app, improvements were limited to a small set of categories featured on the homescreen. While those categories saw gains, the broader browsing experience remained outdated—creating a fragmented journey.

This revealed a clear opportunity:

If we could scale these improvements across the entire experience, we could unlock multi-point conversion gains across all Order Ahead categories, not just a select few.

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Research

Competitive audits, analytics, prior experiments, and behavioral patterns revealed three core problems:

Key Findings

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Browsing structure limited discovery and required prior knowledge The experience did not meet modern browse expectations—users could only see products after drilling down to the final layer of the category tree. This required users to already know exactly where an item lived within our taxonomy, leaving no opportunity for exploration or discovery and increasing the risk of drop-off.

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Limited merchandising reach constrains performance The merchandising team had no way to surface promotions within the Shop Online tab—the app’s primary browsing experience. As a result, only ~10% of categories (those featured on the homescreen) benefited from optimized or promoted experiences, leaving the majority of high-intent browsing sessions unexposed to key content.

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One-size-fits-all structure failed to support different customer mindsets All categories were forced into the same layout and behavior, despite serving very different use cases. Browsing quick, everyday items like subs and wraps requires speed and scannability, while planning for events (e.g., platters or cakes) requires more exploration and guidance. The lack of flexibility prevented categories from being optimized for their specific context, limiting both usability and conversion potential.

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Solution

To address these challenges, I proposed a three-level hierarchical browse system that aligns with how customers naturally navigate—from broad exploration to specific selection.

This created a flexible foundation that supports both user needs and business goals.

Level 0 — Entry & Orientation

Provides a clear starting point, helping customers quickly understand what’s available and where to go.

Customer GoalQuick recognition and navigation

Business GoalIncrease engagement with key categories

Level 1 — Refinement & Exploration

Supports large, complex categories (e.g., Bakery) by organizing content into meaningful groupings.

Customer GoalEasier decision-making within large categories

Business GoalBetter content organization and merchandising opportunities

Level 2 — Selection & Action

Designed for focused categories (e.g., Subs), where all items live on one page with quick-jump navigation.

Customer GoalFaster selection with fewer taps

Business GoalIncrease conversion through reduced friction

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Key Design Decisions

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Projected Impact

The development work for this project is still underway—from both an engineering standpoint and a CMS content-management standpoint.

While final performance data is not yet available, this work establishes a scalable foundation for unlocking previously inaccessible impact across the Order Ahead experience.

The new structure improves the experience in three key ways:

Clearer navigation: Customers have more intuitive paths into key categories, reducing friction and time to discovery

Expanded merchandising reach: Promotional capabilities extend from ~10% of categories to the full browsing experience

Stronger system foundation: The experience becomes more consistent, flexible, and easier to scale over time

Based on prior web performance (+5% conversion, +6% add-to-cart), applying these improvements system-wide is projected to drive +4–8% overall conversion lift and unlock meaningful incremental revenue across Order Ahead.

Just as importantly, the staged rollout allows the team to deliver value sooner while creating space for future enhancements and experimentation.

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Conversion Rate

+4%

Projected lift across Order Ahead

Based on +5% gains from mobile web

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Merchandising Reach

~10% → ~100%

Projected category coverage

Expanding promotions from homescreen-only to full browse experience