Alessandro L. Piana Bianco
Strategic Innovation & Design — EU / MENA
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Retail & Commerce

Conversion funnels, multi-brand commerce, and omnichannel service experiences that scale.

ConversionCheckout funnels
Multi-brandPortfolio commerce
OmnichannelStore ↔︎ digital service
GlobalMulti-market rollout
State designErrors + recovery
GovernanceReusable patterns

Intimissimi Group — Commerce experience across a multi-brand portfolio

Focus: scaling commerce UX across brands + shared system governance + consistent conversion patterns

Designed the commerce experience across Intimissimi Group brands (Intimissimi, Calzedonia, Tezenis, Maison Eme, Falconeri), establishing a shared commerce interaction model with brand-specific expression—so teams could ship in parallel without fragmenting UX.

Problem
  • Multiple brands needed a coherent commerce foundation that supports variation in tone and merchandising without duplicating patterns.
  • Commerce journeys required consistency across key tasks (browse, cart, checkout, account, returns) to reduce confusion and operational friction.
Constraints
  • Shared platform realities: promo logic, stock states, returns policies, and catalogue differences across brands.
  • Multi-country needs: localisation, shipping/returns expectations and customer support requirements.
  • Fast delivery cadence with multiple teams: governance needed to prevent UX drift and rework.
  • Accessibility-aware clarity for forms, errors, and critical purchase steps.
Contribution
  • Defined the cross-brand commerce common core (interaction patterns, states, messaging) and identified controlled variation points.
  • Created reusable patterns for conversion-critical flows (PDP → cart → checkout) with consistent validation and recovery states.
  • Aligned stakeholders through reviews, rationale and specifications to reduce fragmentation between brand squads.
Artefacts
  • Commerce interaction model: steps, states, messaging rules and error handling.
  • Brand-layer guidelines: what changes (tone/visual expression) vs what stays consistent (behaviour and structure).
  • Design QA checklist for conversion flows (states, validation, readability, accessibility-aware patterns).
Outcomes
  • Established a shared commerce UX foundation across multiple brands, enabling faster parallel delivery without fragmenting experience quality.
  • Improved consistency of high-impact purchase flows through reusable patterns and explicit governance.
  • Reduced decision churn by clarifying what is standard vs what is intentionally brand-specific.
Reflections
  • Multi-brand portfolios succeed when the rules of variation are explicit — otherwise every brand becomes a fork.
  • Conversion UX is mostly state design: validation, errors and recovery define trust more than polish alone.

Bata — Global commerce channel improvement (checkout funnel)

Focus: global eCommerce optimisation + checkout funnel redesign + conversion-critical state design

Improved the design of Bata’s commerce experience as a global solution, with a specific focus on checkout funnel clarity—reducing friction in conversion-critical steps while keeping patterns scalable across markets and teams.

Problem
  • Checkout is where uncertainty becomes drop-off: unclear forms, validation and what-happens-next moments reduce conversion and increase support.
  • A global commerce experience needed consistent patterns and state handling to scale across markets without fragmentation.
Constraints
  • Multi-market variability across payments, shipping options, taxes and returns policies.
  • Legacy platform constraints and dependency-heavy delivery impacting what could change quickly.
  • Accessibility-aware form design: readability, error messaging and recovery under dense requirements.
  • Need for scalable patterns that teams can reuse without re-inventing checkout each release.
Contribution
  • Audited the funnel as a state machine (valid/invalid, pending, failed, retry, confirmation) and redesigned high-friction states.
  • Refined information hierarchy, validation timing and error messaging to improve recoverability and reduce ambiguity.
  • Designed reusable checkout patterns (steps, confirmations, delivery/payment states) and documented rules for consistent rollout.
  • Worked with product and engineering to prioritise changes with the highest impact on conversion and operational clarity.
Artefacts
  • Checkout flow and state model + edge-case catalogue (errors, retries, address issues, payment failures).
  • Updated form patterns and messaging guidelines (validation, errors, confirmations).
  • Prototype slices for critical steps (payment, delivery options, address).
  • Handoff pack: UX rules, component usage guidance and acceptance criteria.
Outcomes
  • Delivered clearer, more predictable checkout patterns focused on reducing friction at conversion-critical moments.
  • Improved recoverability and trust through explicit error states and retry paths.
  • Created reusable checkout guidance designed to scale as markets and rules evolve.
Reflections
  • Conversion UX is mostly state design: validation, errors and recovery define trust more than polish alone.
  • Global commerce succeeds when variation points are explicit—otherwise complexity leaks into every release.

Nike — Omnichannel booking & in-store support for FuelBand setup (2010)

Focus: early omnichannel service design + booking flows + store operations alignment

Designed an early omnichannel service experience for Nike FuelBand setup—connecting digital booking and guidance with in-store support workflows (well before ‘omnichannel’ became standard) to make onboarding smoother and reduce friction at critical moments.

Problem
  • Customers needed reliable support to set up and use a new connected product; without clear guidance, onboarding friction risks churn and increased store/service load.
  • Store teams needed a structured way to handle appointments and support interactions without disrupting peak retail operations.
Constraints
  • Operational reality: in-store time pressure, interruptions and varying staff familiarity with a new product.
  • Cross-channel continuity: customers start online and complete in-store; information and expectations must match.
  • Scheduling/booking complexity: availability, appointment rules and exceptions need clear states and confirmations.
  • Early-stage ecosystem constraints: limited precedent/patterns for connected product onboarding and service booking at the time.
Contribution
  • Mapped the end-to-end service journey (discover → book → arrive → setup → follow-up) and aligned it with store operations.
  • Designed the booking and preparation flows, including confirmations, reminders and exception handling (reschedule/no-show).
  • Defined interaction patterns and content hierarchy to support comprehension in both digital and in-store contexts.
  • Produced prototypes and guidelines to support consistent execution across touchpoints.
Artefacts
  • Service blueprint and journey map with in-store handoffs and exception points.
  • Booking flow and state model (confirmation, reminders, changes, cancellations).
  • Prototype set for customer-facing booking/guidance and store-support touchpoints (NDA-safe).
  • Operational guidance for appointment handling and customer communication consistency.
Outcomes
  • Delivered an omnichannel service model that clarified expectations and improved continuity between digital and in-store support.
  • Reduced ambiguity in appointment handling through clear states, confirmations and recovery paths.
  • Created reusable service patterns for connected-product onboarding that anticipated later omnichannel norms.
Reflections
  • Service design is often the differentiator: operational truth and clear handoffs drive trust more than UI polish.
  • Booking experiences succeed on edge cases—reschedules, no-shows and preparation steps must be designed, not assumed.