The Wedding Shop
How might we inspire customers through shoppable storytelling while creating content creation efficiencies for internal teams?
Context & challenge
Abercrombie produces rich, engaging storytelling content across social and marketing channels, but the website lacked a cohesive way to bring that content to life. There was a clear disconnect between how we presented the brand in marketing and how customers experienced it on our site. Our goal was to bridge that gap—creating a seamless, shoppable experience that aligned brand storytelling with digital shopping behavior. To support this, we designed flexible, reusable components that empowered our marketing partners to easily activate seasonal campaigns and tell stories that convert.
project overview
Project Name: The Wedding Shop: Shoppable Storytelling
My Role: Design Manager – Coached my designer, partnering heavily with marketing, data & analytics, product management, design systems, and engineering
Timeline: Q2-Q4 2023
My Role as a Design Manager
As the Design Manager, I partnered cross-functionally with product, engineering, design systems, and brand leadership to align on the objectives and key results for the Shoppable Storytelling initiative. I coached and supported my designer through usability testing, multiple design iterations, stakeholder presentations, and cross-functional workshops that built shared understanding and alignment. I co-presented with product partners in executive reviews, sharing progress updates and user research insights. To ensure we were on track for a timely launch aligned with a major seasonal campaign, we aligned on bi-weekly syncs and co-creation sessions with the brand team, bridging timelines and creative direction across teams.
Design Process
I coached and guided the Browse Squad—alongside the designer on my team—through the discovery and definition phases of the project. We began with a Lean UX canvas to align on the core business problem, desired outcomes, key personas, and early solution hypotheses. This framework created clarity across the squad and helped focus our first round of experiments. I supported my designer through initial customer research, prototyping, and multiple rounds of usability testing to deeply understand how customers seek inspiration while still needing efficient, utility-driven paths to shop. Once we landed on a direction that balanced both customer needs and business goals, I facilitated prioritization conversations and guided the team in designing scalable solutions within our design system.
“Raechel was an essential partner during the Wedding Shop launch. She skillfully navigated tough conversations around timelines and expectations, while also creating space for all voices to be heard and concerns to be addressed. She was a strong advocate for me as a designer, while also encouraging me to push beyond my comfort zone and grow my skills.
Without her, we would have faced delays, missed key communication moments — and frankly, it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun.”
Business Outcomes & Impact
- Bounce rates dropped by 5–10 percentage points across all traffic channels
- Over 50% of visits interacted with the shoppable story components
- Shoppers favored visual story tiles, especially on mobile, due to full-screen presence
Conversion Behavior
- Returning shoppers from external marketing wanted fast product access and found the components distracting
- In contrast, shoppers entering via navigation or internal content converted better when components were present
Reflection & Learnings
This project was a milestone in how digital product and design partnered with our marketing teams—laying the groundwork for more integrated, cross-functional collaboration. One of the most rewarding aspects for me was mentoring my designer through this journey. Together, we developed workshop strategies, structured efficient working sessions in MURAL, and dug deep into customer research to ensure the experience delivered both user value and business impact. I coached her on how to confidently facilitate cross-functional sessions and present insights to senior stakeholders. Through this work, she significantly elevated her craft and leadership presence—ultimately earning a well-deserved promotion to Senior Designer the following fall.