Machine Store — Helping JCB stay at the forefront of the industry
Machine Store
Helping JCB stay at the forefront of the industry.
Type
E-Commerce
Timeline
2022 - 2023
Deliverables
UX Design
UI Design
Website
CMS
JCB Machine Store is a global online machine marketplace which allows customers to search for JCB plant and equipment within one centralised platform and view all machines available to them from their local dealer. Machine Store is a website that JCB use to sell new and used machines through all of their dealerships.
As the Product Designer on this project I have:
- Led design efforts for the Web and CMS designs
- Conducted user research sessions with dealership owners
- Collaborated closely with Project Managers and the Development team to navigate technical constraints and business priorities
- Established design review processes to ensure quality delivery despite handoff challenges
The Problem
When the first lockdown happened, JCB were forced into selling their machines online for the first time in their history.
JCB wanted to modernise the way its customers purchased equipment by creating a single, online destination that aggregated stock from all participating dealers.
This meant more than just listing machines, the new platform needed to accommodate real-time inventory, localised pricing, and flexible financing options, while maintaining a seamless user experience across web and mobile.
The client was asking for a fully loaded solution on an unrealistic timeline, so I proposed a phased release approach instead.
Research & Insights
I conducted market research into the wider construction equipment landscape, analysing JCB’s key competitors, their online purchasing journeys and value propositions, to identify expectations, best practices and gaps that could inform opportunities for improving the Machine Store experience.
Through user interviews with dealers, I uncovered the following key insights:
Key Takeaways
- Making it as easy as possible for all these non-tech savvy users
- The machines are really expensive, sometimes users will want to ring up for reassurance
- Needs to feel within the JCB brand
- All the specifications should be easy to digest
The Process
I translated key user and dealer needs into low-fidelity wireframes, exploring different layouts and flows for Machine Store before committing to visual design or development.
The Solution
Built on a custom CMS and underpinned by robust APIs, the platform integrates with dealer networks and Salesforce to sync live stock data, automate product listings, and deliver dealer-specific pricing and lead alerts.
Customers can search inventory using geo-location, configure finance packages, interact with dealers via 24/7 live chat, and purchase multiple machines in a single transaction using a secure online checkout.
Every element of the system was optimised for both scale and simplicity, ensuring dealers could self-manage listings and customers could buy with confidence.
Creating a finance calculator on both the site and CMS using sliders.
To improve the mobile experience on the product page, I created a secondary navigation that sticks to the top of the screen. This enables easy access to the area of the page they want to.
I designed a pop up for when there are no machines left in stock. This pop up would suggest other similar models that the user might be interested in.
Uploading a file for the postcode region in the CMS.
I created a design system to ensure the product is cohesive and consistent moving forward.
I regularly conduct design reviews of the site, looking at how we can improve the experience for the users. I then put these suggestions into actions based on how easy they are to implement for the developers, and how detrimental to the users experience it could be.
I brainstormed some new ideas and concepts that JCB could use as new features.
The Impact
103%
Increase in qualified stock searches
15,000+
Qualified sales opportunities annually
88+
Dealers across 4 global territories
