Building a Flexport App for Shopify Merchants
MARKETPLACE | Mar-Oct 2022 | New Service & Feature Set | Shipped Oct 2023PROBLEM & OPPORTUNITY
Small-to-medium Shopify merchants face significant challenges in managing international freight, including high shipping costs, complex logistics, and a lack of visibility into shipment status. Many merchants rely on third-party logistics providers or manufacturers, leading to inefficiencies and limited control over their supply chain.
As a UX designer, my role was to identify key pain points, streamline the freight booking experience, and design an intuitive app experience that allows merchants to get instant freight quotes, book shipments, and track their goods—all within Shopify. This project was an opportunity to create a frictionless, scalable solution that integrates Flexport’s logistics expertise with Shopify’s merchant ecosystem.
KEY OUTCOMES & IMPACT
Through research, design iteration, and usability testing, the Flexport Shopify App delivered:
30% faster shipment booking, reducing merchant time-to-action.
20% reduction in shipping costs compared to air freight, increasing affordability.
25% decrease in form abandonment by improving the freight estimate input flow.
150+ merchants onboarded in the first three months, with plans to scale to 50,000+ users post-launch.
SOLUTION
I led the user research, journey mapping, and interaction design for the app, collaborating closely with engineers and product managers. Key design contributions included:
Redesigned Onboarding Flow: A/B testing led to a streamlined enrollment process, increasing successful account creation by 15%.
Freight Estimate Optimization: Iterative usability testing resulted in a step-by-step input experience, reducing form drop-off by 25%.
Shipment Tracking Enhancements: Added real-time milestone updates, improving user satisfaction by 20%.
By embedding freight management directly into Shopify, this app transformed the way small businesses handle global shipping—making it simpler, more efficient, and cost-effective.
ROLE
UX Project Lead
PARTNERS
(UX) Pan Pan
(PM) Dave Coulson & Pritam Baht
CONTRIBUTION
Requirement Discovery
Service Design
Wireframe-Prototype
Engineering Documentation
Want to Learn More?
Shoot me an email! Let’s discuss your questions, comments, and organizational needs.