Rent Cart Redesign
When the Cart Wasn’t a Cart
How reframing checkout drove a +100% increase in multi-item orders
OVERVIEW
Rentit, Reebonz’s premium rental service, originally utilized a cart built as a static wishlist, not a functional checkout step. This project transformed it into a dynamic bundling system that redefined how users move from browsing to checkout.
The impact:
Multi-item rentals: +100%
Average items per order: +30%
Checkout abandonment: –15%
MY ROLE
Product Designer
TEAM
1 Product Manager
1 Product Designer
3 Engineers
2 Analytics
TIMELINE
Feb 2023 - Jun 2023
(4 Months)
PROBLEM
Although 86% of orders were single items, data revealed this was a system failure, not user intent. 61% of multi-item customers were forced into fragmented transactions for the same rental period because the system blocked bundling
Why the Old System Failed
01. Fragmented Flow
Users were trapped in a loop: Add → Pay → Repeat.
Before Flow
02. Hidden Pricing
Total costs were invisible until the very last step.
Pages showing only Daily Rates
03. No Bundling Logic
The system couldn't calculate overlapping dates for multiple items.
With no dates anchored, users were blocked from adding more items to this cart
STRATEGY
Shifting the Mental Model:
From Retail to Rental
Standard e-commerce carts are built around inventory.
Rentit, however, sells time.
The Old Way
Retail Model (Item-First)
The New Way
Booking Model (Date-First)
The Decision
I adopted a date-first architecture, making the calendar the anchor for the entire cart system.
DESIGN DECISIONS
Visualizing Discounts
Without Breaking the Flow
Removing the intrusive promo page improved the flow, but the Business Team required maintaining upsell visibility.
My challenge was to integrate the incentive directly into the cart without clutter.
❌ Low Visibility
Too subtle. Users often scrolled past without noticing the incentive.
❌ Ambiguous Meaning
Too abstract. Users failed to connect the circle icon to 'savings progress'
🟢 Intuitive Gamification
Clear visualization. The linear bar naturally nudged users to 'fill it up' for the reward
SOLUTION
Redesigned the Flow
to Support "Dates-First" Logic
I restructured the architecture so users define "When" before committing to "What."
After Flow
Key Structural Changes
01. Smart Action Placement
Moved the "Add to Cart" trigger inside the calendar, ensuring users commit to a rental period first.
Anchored dates to ensure availability
02. Upfront Transparency
Anchoring dates early allows final prices to be displayed immediately, eliminating price shocks.
Total costs shown upfront, no hidden math
03. Seamless Bundling
Users can naturally stack multiple items with overlapping dates into a single transaction.
Frictionless multi-selection with instant feedback
POST-LAUNCH ITERATION
Users Abandoned the Flow
When Their Selected Dates Disappeared
Metrics improved, but abandonment remained slightly above target. Session Replays revealed the culprit.
The Insight
Users Expected Their Selected Dates to Follow Them
However, the system treated every page load as a new visit, wiping out their progress and forcing them to start over.
Step 1: User filters items by date (09.18 - 09.22)
Step 2: But dates disappear upon clicking a product
Upgraded date selection to a global session constraint that persists across the journey.
After Flow
Visual Confirmation on Product Page
IMPACT
We unlocked suppressed demand by removing structural friction. The surge in multi-item rentals proved that users always had the intent to bundle. The system just needed to get out of their way.
Multi-item Rentals
Average Items per Order
Checkout Abandonment Rates
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Redesigning the Experience,
Not Just the Cart
Fixing the interface required restructuring the underlying business logic (Retail vs. Rental) first. I learned that constraints in the UI are often symptoms of conflicts in the system rules.
Smarter Systems
Over Smoother Flows
Alignment proved to be more powerful than polish. Shifting the logic from "Shopping" to "Booking" demonstrated that matching the system to the user's mental model is the foundation of a seamless experience.
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