Paperplus Case Study

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Paperplus - an eCommerce Optimisation Success Story

How Greg Randall Elevated New Zealand's Largest Book Retailer

Paper Plus stands as New Zealand’s largest book retailer, with an impressive network of over 80 stores spread throughout the country.

Renowned for its extensive range of books, stationery, and gift accessories, Paper Plus has long been a household name for readers and gift-givers alike.

In an era where digital transformation is accelerating across all retail sectors, the company faced the familiar challenge of improving its online sales channel amidst technological constraints.

This is the story of how Paper Plus, working with Greg Randall, overcame outdated eCommerce systems and delivered substantial commercial wins.

Paperplus Pain Points:

Although Paper Plus had a functioning eCommerce channel, its executive team was acutely aware that “OK” performance was no longer sufficient. The Board, however, was clear: a replatform was off the table.

No architectural or technological changes would be considered. Greg Randall was tasked with driving improvements using the technology already in place—a scenario he is all too familiar with.

Compared to international standards, the eCommerce platform powering Paper Plus was outdated, sparking anxiety amongst leadership and staff.

The prevailing sentiment was that technological obsolescence equated to stagnation; how could Paper Plus possibly improve its digital performance without new technology?

Their existing eCommerce Agency was supportive and diligent, but lacked the deep subject matter expertise necessary to craft user journeys that would truly resonate with customers.

Recommendations were made, but none led to a tangible increase in online transactions. This shortfall became a primary pain point for Paper Plus and the catalyst for engaging Greg Randall.

The Solution - Strategic Optimisation Within Constraints

Greg Randall’s approach was pragmatic and surgical. Unable to change the underlying eCommerce technology, he focused on improving conversion rates and the overall user experience (UX) within the system’s limitations. Two core services were set in motion:

1. eCommerce Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO): Enhancing the proportion of visitors who become paying customers.

2. User Experience (UX) Design: Ensuring intuitive, frictionless shopping journeys across devices.

Step 1: Deep Analysis of Consumer Behavioural Data

Greg began with an exhaustive analysis of how customers engaged with the site. This included:

  • Tracking digital behaviour to pinpoint where users struggled or abandoned their journeys.
  • Interviewing customer support staff to gather frontline insights.
  • Parsing incoming customer questions from emails and social media comments for more granular pain points.

This phase yielded a rare, holistic view of the “experiential chaos” hindering purchases—a blend of technical glitches and UX missteps affecting real shoppers.

Step 2: Ranking the Issues

With a clear understanding of the problem areas, Greg systematically documented and ranked each issue. The ranking was based on the following criteria:

  1. Commercial impact: Which issues, if resolved, would drive the greatest improvements in sales?
  2. Ease of implementation: Which fixes were feasible given the existing technology?
  3. Alignment with business strategy: Which changes supported broader company goals?

Step 3: Recommendations – Fixing the Issues

Greg distilled his findings into an actionable document that detailed the top issues, explained in accessible, everyday business language.

The document formed the framework for a Phase 1 change project. Every recommendation was mapped to a specific pain point, with clear instructions on how to resolve it using the existing eCommerce technology.

Step 4: UX Design Planning

Once the scope was approved, Greg shifted his attention to user experience design. He developed wireframes for both desktop and mobile devices, accompanied by detailed commentary. This “change bible” specified the structure and mechanics of every page layout, removing ambiguity for the development team.

This allowed Greg to weave eCommerce best practices throughout the necessary changes.

Step 5: Collaboration with the eCommerce Agency

The final phase was hands-on collaboration. Greg worked closely with the eCommerce Agency, guiding them to execute the wireframes precisely.

The UX blueprint was followed meticulously, and when the changes went live, the impact was immediate and measurable.

The Results - Quantifiable Wins:

The changes delivered hard numbers that underscored the success of the project:

  1. Bounce rates on the Smartphone home page decreased by 20%.
  2. Overall smartphone conversion rate grew by 35%.
  3. Revenue from smartphone devices increased by 116%.
  4. Bounce rates on the Desktop homepage decreased by 27%.
  5. Revenue from desktop screens increased by 45%.

Paper Plus’s journey is an instructive case study for any retailer facing the twin challenges of outdated technology and stagnant performance.

Greg Randall’s process demonstrates that meaningful commercial improvements are possible without costly replatforming or sweeping architectural changes.