Simplified gift discovery, guiding visitors to explore more options without leaving the first screen.
Created as part of Costco’s platform modernization, this Marketing Component was designed for frequent, high-visibility use on the homepage and category pages. It flexes visually—adapting icons, color, and typography to match seasonal and promotional campaigns—and debuted during the 2023 Holiday season as the anchor for the Gift Shop. Its design pattern allows members to browse curated product groups directly on the homepage, encouraging exploration without extra navigation.
Traffic analysis showed nearly 10% of visitors bounced after a single page and more than 65% browsed without purchasing—especially gift buyers seeking quick inspiration. The goal was to convert those early bounces into engaged shoppers while advancing the broader modernization effort. With 70%+ of members on mobile, the experience needed to feel fast, responsive, and effortless across devices.
Grounded in shopper research, the component was optimized for the first 8–10 seconds of a visit—the critical window when users decide whether to stay or leave. Category tabs with horizontal scroll let members explore curated product groups without leaving the homepage, encouraging browsing with minimal interaction cost. As a Marketing Component, the structure stayed consistent while visuals could be styled to match each campaign’s identity. Close collaboration with Marketing, Content, and the Design System team ensured the component balanced adaptability with accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) and system-wide scalability.
Launched as the centerpiece of the 2023 Holiday Gift Shop, the component held the top position on Costco’s homepage for an entire week, a clear indicator of both strong performance and business confidence. It reduced bounce behavior by surfacing multiple shopping paths in one view and proved effective across desktop and mobile, supporting Costco’s predominantly mobile audience with a smooth, intuitive flow. Beyond the season, it established a reusable, styleable Marketing Component—transforming a holiday execution into a repeatable business tool aligned with Costco’s modernization goals.
