Turning Retail Trust into a Scalable Online Experience

Elyxr sells cannabinoid products through retail stores and its own website. While retail sales were growing steadily, the online direct-to-consumer experience needed improvement to build trust and convert first-time buyers.

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Old website >>> New Website

Old website >>> New Website

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We redesigned the direct-to-consumer product experience and built a dedicated wholesale platform to support bulk buyers.
Role
Product Designer
Scope
D2C Product Page
+ Wholesale Dashboard
D2C + Wholesale
Industry
Regulated / Cannabinoid Products
Cannabinoid Products
Duration
4 Months

The Core Problem

Elyxr sells cannabinoid products through retail stores and its own online website.
Retail sales were growing consistently, but online direct sales were lagging behind.

Retail Distribution

Consistent sell-through across licensed stores
Consistent sell-through across licensed stores
Strong repeat bulk orders from resellers
Strong repeat bulk orders from resellers

Direct-to-Consumer (Online)

Lower than expected online conversions
Slower growth compared to retail channel

The Wholesale Gap

Bulk buyers were using the same interface as retail customers.

No tier-based pricing
No volume based incentives
No structured dashboard
No flexible payment options

Why Offline Worked

In-Store Sales Created Instant Confidence and Clarity

1. Human Interaction Built Trust

1. Human Interaction Built Trust

• Customers could speak directly with a shopkeeper
• Questions were answered instantly
• Concerns were addressed before purchase
• Customers could speak directly with a shopkeeper
• Questions were answered instantly
• Concerns were addressed before purchase

2. Physical Proof Increased Legitimacy

2. Physical Proof Increased Legitimacy

• Licenses were physically displayed
• Lab reports could be shown immediately
• Compliance felt real and verifiable
• Licenses were physically displayed
• Lab reports could be shown immediately
• Compliance felt real and verifiable

3. Guided Product Exploration Reduced Friction

3. Guided Product Exploration Reduced Friction

• Flavors were compared side by side
• Compounds were explained clearly
• Recommendations reduced confusion
• Flavors were compared side by side
• Compounds were explained clearly
• Recommendations reduced confusion

Why Online Struggled

The Website Failed to Replicate the In-Store Experience

1. No Guided Reassurance

1. No Guided Reassurance

• No structured product explanation
• No conversational clarification
• Customers had to interpret complex details alone
• No structured product explanation
• No conversational clarification
• Customers had to interpret complex details alone

2. Weak Trust Visibility

2. Weak Trust Visibility

• Lab certifications were not prominent
• Compliance information was easy to miss
• Legitimacy was not immediately reinforced
• Lab certifications were not prominent
• Compliance information was easy to miss
• Legitimacy was not immediately reinforced

3. Unstructured Decision Journey

3. Unstructured Decision Journey

• Confusing compound terminology
• Minimal differentiation between variants
• No assistance during product comparison
• Confusing compound terminology
• Minimal differentiation between variants
• No assistance during product comparison

How Leading Brands Build Online Trust

How Leading Brands Build Online Trust

Competitor Analysis

We conducted a competitive audit to understand how leading cannabinoid brands drive online confidence and conversion.

Across multiple competitors, clear patterns emerged:

• Prominent trust badges and compliance indicators
• Lab reports displayed directly on product pages
• Online-only discounts and bundle incentives
• Strong shipping and delivery assurance
• Structured product education sections

High-performing brands did not rely on aesthetics alone.
They systematically reduced doubt before asking for purchase.

Design Objective

Digitally replicate the confidence of an in-store experience.
We focused on two parallel tracks:

Direct to Customers

Redesign the D2C product experience
to build trust and clarity.

Wholesale

Create a dedicated wholesale platform
to support bulk buyers properly.

Redesigning the D2C Product Page

1. Build Trust First

1. Build Trust First

• Lab reports and certifications were made more visible within the purchase journey, not hidden in secondary sections.

• Compliance cues were placed closer to pricing and CTA to reinforce legitimacy at the decision moment.

• Customer testimonials were surfaced higher to add social proof and reassurance.

Trust was positioned before persuasion.
• Lab reports and certifications were made more visible within the purchase journey, not hidden in secondary sections.

• Compliance cues were placed closer to pricing and CTA to reinforce legitimacy at the decision moment.

• Customer testimonials were surfaced higher to add social proof and reassurance.

Trust was positioned before persuasion.

2. Simplify Product Understanding

2. Simplify Product Understanding

• Compound details were broken into clearer, easier-to-scan sections.

• Product photography was improved to feel more tangible and real.

• Information hierarchy was reorganized to reduce clutter and improve readability.

The goal was to reduce confusion and guide decisions.
• Compound details were broken into clearer, easier-to-scan sections.

• Product photography was improved to feel more tangible and real.

• Information hierarchy was reorganized to reduce clutter and improve readability.

The goal was to reduce confusion and guide decisions.

3. Encourage Higher Basket Value

3. Encourage Higher Basket Value

• Pack discounts were introduced to incentivize larger quantities.

• Bundle options made it easier to try multiple flavors.

• Related product suggestions were aligned with user intent.

Upselling was structured, not aggressive.
• Pack discounts were introduced to incentivize larger quantities.

• Bundle options made it easier to try multiple flavors.

• Related product suggestions were aligned with user intent.

Upselling was structured, not aggressive.

Building the Wholesale Platform

We created a dedicated wholesale dashboard tailored for bulk buyers.

Tier Mechanism

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Variants

Product

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1. Tier-Based Incentive System

1. Tier-Based Incentive System

• Volume-based discount tiers
• Unlockable rewards and gifts
• Clear progress tracking toward next tier
• Volume-based discount tiers
• Unlockable rewards and gifts
• Clear progress tracking toward next tier

2. Flexible Payment System

2. Flexible Payment System

• Split payment across multiple cards
• Multiple payment method combinations
• Pay-half-now, pay-half-later option
• Split payment across multiple cards
• Multiple payment method combinations
• Pay-half-now, pay-half-later option

Learnings & Outcomes

Key Outcomes

  • Improved product clarity in D2C experience

  • Stronger trust reinforcement throughout the purchase journey

  • Increased upsell opportunities through structured bundles

  • Created a scalable B2B revenue channel

  • Separated retail and wholesale logic into purpose-built experiences

What I Learned

  • In regulated industries, transparency is the product.

  • Trust must be visible, not buried.

  • D2C and wholesale require fundamentally different UX strategies.

  • Digital experiences must replace human reassurance intentionally.

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