Experience Over Product: Elevating the Virgin PDP to Sell Memories, Not Cards

Product Line

Giftcards.com

Role

UX Designer

Expertise

UX/UI Design

Year

2024

Background & Project Initiation

The Virgin Experience Card product page (PDP) treated the card as a simple commodity rather than an entry point to unique adventures. This transactional approach failed to engage users emotionally or build confidence in the purchase. As the lead product designer, I initiated a redesign to shift the narrative from buying a product to buying an experience. Our goal was to create a more immersive, inspiring, and trustworthy journey that better reflected the brand promise.

  • Existing PDP lacked engaging visuals and storytelling, limiting emotional connection.

  • Users showed hesitation due to unclear value propositions and redemption details.

Problem Statement & Success Criteria

The core problem was the PDP’s inability to inspire users and convey the gift card’s experiential value, resulting in low conversion rates and limited average order value (AOV). We defined success through measurable improvements in user engagement, conversion, and purchase value.

  • Increase PDP-to-cart conversion rate by 15–20% through emotional storytelling and trust signals.

  • Boost AOV by 10% by promoting higher-value experiences within the card offering.

  • Drive a 25% increase in average session duration by improving content richness and clarity.

Research Methodology & Stakeholder Insights

To ground the redesign in both business needs and user expectations, I conducted research across three fronts:

  • Stakeholder Interviews: I interviewed 4 internal stakeholders across product, marketing, and customer support to uncover business goals, recurring customer feedback, and operational challenges tied to the PDP.

  • Heuristic Evaluation: I performed a usability audit of the existing PDP, identifying gaps in visual hierarchy, navigation clarity, and trust-building content.

  • Competitive Analysis: I benchmarked leading experience-based platforms to analyze how competitors leveraged imagery, storytelling, and reassurance signals to inspire purchase intent.

From this research, three key insights emerged:

  1. Users needed evocative imagery and storytelling to connect emotionally with the gift card.

  2. Redemption and expiration details were unclear, creating hesitation at checkout.

  3. The page lacked trust signals such as availability, product scope, and ease of use, which competitors consistently highlighted.

Design Hypothesis & Assumption

I hypothesized that elevating the PDP with immersive visuals, emotional storytelling, and clear trust signals would significantly boost engagement and conversions. We assumed that showcasing specific, tangible experiences linked to the card would create aspirational value and reduce purchase friction.

  • Visual immersion drives emotional connection and longer session times.

  • Explicit trust signals alleviate hesitation and reduce cart abandonment.

  • Highlighting popular experiences encourages higher denomination purchases.

The key to selling the experience…

The decision to integrate brand imagery is based on several key factors:

Visual Recognition: Humans process visual information more quickly and effectively than text. Brand images provide instant recognition and association for users.

Emotional Connection: Images can evoke emotions and memories associated with brands, creating a stronger connection between the user and the gift card offering.

Context and Usage Clarity: Visual representations of brands can help users quickly understand how and where the gift card can be used, addressing a major pain point.

Trust and Authenticity: Official brand imagery lends credibility to the gift card offerings, assuring users of the authenticity of the products.

Competitive Alignment: Other lifestyle gifting platforms, such as Etsy, effectively use imagery to enhance their product pages. Adding images brings Giftcards.com in line with industry standards.

Improved User Interface: Images break up text-heavy layouts, making the PDPs more visually appealing and easier to navigate.

Competitor Analysis

As part of our research process, we conducted a competitor analysis to understand industry standards and identify opportunities for improvement. Our analysis focused on successful platforms in the gifting and e-commerce space, with a particular emphasis on Etsy's product detail pages (PDPs).

Etsy PDP Analysis

Etsy, a popular e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies, provides an excellent example of effective use of imagery in product listings:

1. Visual-First Approach: Etsy's PDPs prominently feature high-quality images of products, often including multiple views and lifestyle shots.

2. Brand Storytelling: Through imagery, Etsy allows sellers to showcase their brand personality and the context in which their products can be used or enjoyed.

3. User-Generated Content: Many Etsy listings include customer photos, which adds authenticity and helps potential buyers visualize the product in real-world settings.

4. Mobile Optimization: Etsy's image-centric approach translates well to mobile devices, providing a consistent experience across platforms.

5. Gallery Format: Multiple images are presented in a gallery format, allowing users to quickly browse through various views of the product.

Key Takeaways for Giftcards.com

Based on stakeholder insights, heuristic evaluation, and competitive analysis, several design priorities emerged to elevate the Virgin Experience PDP and align it with consumer expectations in the experience economy:

  1. Lead with Visual Storytelling: Make immersive brand imagery central to the PDP to immediately capture attention and communicate the aspirational lifestyle behind the experience.

  2. Highlight Contextual Use Cases: Showcase specific adventures and activities the card can unlock, helping customers connect emotionally with the purchase.

  3. Ensure Consistency Across Platforms: Extend a visually rich, experience-first approach seamlessly to both desktop and mobile PDPs.

  4. Incorporate Trust & Reassurance: Add clear availability, redemption, and expiration details to reduce hesitation.

  5. Engage and Inspire: Explore ways to weave in social proof and testimonials to strengthen credibility and relatability.

Process

  1. Research & Analysis

    • Conducted 4 internal stakeholder interviews across product, marketing, and customer support.

    • Performed heuristic evaluations to identify usability gaps in the PDP.

    • Analyzed competitive platforms to benchmark how leaders in the space use imagery, storytelling, and reassurance to drive conversions.

  2. Design Conceptualization

    • Created before-and-after mockups for Virgin Experiences and additional brands.

    • Shifted the PDP from transactional design to aspirational storytelling with hero imagery, “Popular Experiences” modules, and trust signals.

  3. Stakeholder Collaboration

    • Partnered with legal and brand account managers to establish a workflow for obtaining approved brand imagery.

    • Developed compliance guidelines for imagery use and brand approvals.

  4. Implementation Planning

    • Proposed a quarterly update cycle to keep brand imagery fresh and seasonally relevant.

    • Outlined workflows for designers to create and iterate on PDP visuals at scale.

Projected Results & Metrics

The redesigned Virgin Experience PDP was expected to deliver measurable business impact:

  • Conversion Rate Lift: +15–20% improvement in PDP-to-cart conversions driven by compelling storytelling and reassurance.

  • Average Order Value (AOV): +10% increase by inspiring higher-value purchases through premium experience imagery.

  • Engagement: +25% increase in session duration through immersive visuals, expanded FAQs, and contextual content.

  • Trust & Confidence: Decreased cart abandonment tied to confusion about redemption or expiration.

Challenges and Considerations

1. Ensuring consistent quality and relevance of brand imagery across all gift card offerings

2. Managing the quarterly update process efficiently without disrupting the user experience

3. Maintaining compliance with legal requirements and brand guidelines

4. Balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders, including users, brands, and internal teams

Conclusion

By shifting the Virgin Experience PDP from a product-focused page to an experience-first journey, GiftCards.com positioned itself to meet modern consumer demand for memories over material goods. The redesign addressed stakeholder goals, resolved usability gaps, and drew from best-in-class competitor practices to create a scalable, future-proof approach. Most importantly, it reframed the gift card as a gateway to unforgettable experiences—fully aligned with the evolving market and Way’s mission to empower brands through the power of experiences.