I was a member of the Discovery & Search team, focused on improving product exploration and search.
Eneba had a strong position in digital sales (game keys, gift cards) but faced challenges with a new classifieds module for physical products launched in 🇪🇸 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇧🇪 🇱🇹
Strategic goal (OKR): Achieve product-market fit in 🇪🇸 Spain. Convert digital buyers into physical product customers, increasing adoption, sales conversions, and GMV.
Main challenge: Lack of synergy between digital and physical products, as most users preferred digital editions.
Conduct an ideation process and formulate actionable hypotheses, supported by low-fi mockups.
Perform an in-team analysis of generated initiatives, evaluating potential business impact vs. effort.
Select feasible initiatives for experiments to be launched in the upcoming quarter and prepare them for presentation to the Board of PMs.
To ensure alignment with Eneba’s quarterly strategic goals, I conducted an in-depth review of a 100+ page strategy document published by the Board of Management. Document contained comprehensive metric analyses and defined objectives, structured by the Board of PMs under the leadership of the Head of Product.
My focus was on:
Understanding the strategic background, including key performance indicators and dependencies.
Identifying patterns and insights that could inform potential initiatives.
Extracting key strategic goals to guide the ideation process.
📌 Early Concept Formation:
During this analysis, initial hypotheses and initiative ideas naturally emerged. As a first tangible output, I created an unstructured mind map, capturing all potential experiment ideas, product updates, and feature improvements that could help bridge the gap between digital and physical products. This document laid the groundwork for the upcoming ideation phase. 🚀
Objective
To explore how direct and indirect competitors connect digital and physical product variants, identifying potential competitive advantages for Eneba.
Competitor Selection - I analyzed 3 main categories of competitors:
Gaming Marketplaces (Direct Competitors):
G2A.com – Global No.1 and Eneba’s main competitor
Kinguin.net
Instant Gaming
Gamivo.com
Marketplaces & Classifieds:
Amazon.com, eBay.com – Global e-commerce leaders
Wallapop.es – Most popular classifieds platform in 🇪🇸 Spain
Leboncoin.fr – Most popular classifieds platform in 🇫🇷 France
OLX.pl – Classifieds platform mirrored across 🇪🇺 EU markets
Allegro.pl – Largest Polish e-commerce platform
Consumer Electronics E-commerce: (Top 4 in Poland)
Komputronik.pl
X-kom.pl
Mediamarkt.pl
Morele.net
Key Findings
No universal UI pattern exists for linking digital and physical versions of the same product.
Search engines on most platforms do not actively support cross-referencing digital and physical editions.
Marketplaces prioritize physical sales, rarely suggesting digital alternatives.
Some consumer electronics retailers offer variant switching, but implementation is inconsistent (e.g., only console games are linked).
Major marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Allegro) focus on seller-driven listings, meaning each product or offer has its own dedicated page, without a centralized product view linking all editions.
Conclusion
The analysis confirmed that no direct "plug-and-play" solutions could be applied to Eneba. Instead, we needed to develop a unique approach to bridging digital and physical product discovery. These insights informed the next steps in ideation and hypothesis generation. 🚀
Objective
Due to time constraints, I opted for quick, informal interviews with gamer friends who own both PCs and consoles. This allowed me to gather insights rapidly, even though it wasn't a fully structured user research process.
Interview topics
Gaming Preferences:
How do users perceive differences between PC and console gaming?
What influences their choice of platform for specific games?
Search & Purchase Behavior:
How do users search for and buy games?
What factors influence their platform choice?
What friction points exist in their decision-making process?
Choosing Between Digital & Physical Editions:
How do they decide whether to buy a physical or digital version of a game?
Key Insights
Gift cards as a currency hack - Users often buy gift cards as a cheaper way to fund gaming wallets on PC and console platforms.
Exploration via recommendation sections - Users rely on cross-sell and up-sell features like "Other buyers also bought” or “You may also like” to discover alternative versions of games.
Hesitation towards second-hand purchases - Sometimes users avoid used physical games due to concerns about Blu-ray disc condition and packaging quality.
Price - main decision driver - Unless purchasing special or collector’s editions, users almost always choose whichever version is cheaper.
Collectors prefer new editions - Those treating games as collectibles prefer brand-new, shrink-wrapped copies.
Resale value matters - Some users prefer physical editions because they plan to resell them later, effectively reducing the cost of future purchases.
Recommendations / Focus areas
💡 Leverage cross-selling techniques to promote alternative editions of the same game.
💡 Involve Gift Cards as a way to boost digital wallet top-ups.
💡 Consider resale incentives or guarantees to reduce hesitation around second-hand purchases.
Objective
Using my previously gathered notes and insights, I structured a list of potential concepts that could be implemented to improve the synergy between digital and physical products.
Structure - each concept was documented with:
Research Hypothesis – based on observed user behaviors or identified pain points.
Project Hypothesis – outlining a potential solution to address the identified challenge.
Low-fidelity mockup – visually representing the idea for better clarity.
Preliminary pro/con analysis – based on my subjective assessment, intended as a starting point for team discussions during grooming sessions.
Initial Evaluation with the PM
Together with the Product Manager, we estimated the potential impact of each concept on our OKRs.
We conducted a vertical evaluation of business impact, aligning concepts with strategic goals.
No red flags were identified, and all initiatives remained on the list for further evaluation.
Effort Estimation - Technical Feasibility Review with the Development Team
Over 3 refinement sessions, I presented each concept, explaining the rationale and expected outcomes.
Developers and testers provided feedback, leading to minor adjustments.
The team then conducted a technical effort estimation for implementation.
Initiative selection & Prioritization
✅ Quick Wins: We prioritized low-effort, high-impact initiatives for immediate action.
✅ Final Review: The Board of Managers reviewed the final selection for approval.
✅ Backlog Planning: Other initiatives were moved to the Product Discovery backlog for future evaluation.
Overview
3 similar ideas were merged into 1 initiative, resulting in the release of 3 separate A/B experiments targeting product recommendation strategies.
Each experiment focused on a specific cross-linking opportunity. PC hardware upgrades were prioritized due to their high potential impact (higher product margins)
For all experiments, both the target products and the related recommendations were manually selected. Experiments were limited to selected product pages and were not rolled out globally. This manual setup enabled quick validation of hypotheses - an MVP-first approach helped assess potential impact before scaling.
Hypotheses & Result
#
Problem/Research hypothesis
Implemented Solution/Project hypothesis
Result / Impact
1
PC hardware upgrades recommendations
Users interested in newly released games are more likely to upgrade their hardware to enhance gameplay
better graphics
smoother FPS
faster load times
New section on PC games pages, recommending high-performance hardware components (CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD).
The setup included:
10 pre-selected trending games, with components displayed directly on their product pages.
All recommendations were dynamically pulled from the available product base..
A lightweight algorithm matched hardware to each game's recommended requirements:
CPUs filtered by processing speed relevant to the game
GPUs prioritized top-tier performance and price
RAM and SSDs were matched to the game's specs
2
Games suggestions on “Subscription Gift Cards” pages
Users buying subscription gift cards for console platforms are often interested in specific games available on that platform, and may consider purchasing physical copies alongside the card.
New section on subscription gift card product pages, promoting popular physical games for the same console platform.
The setup included:
10 top-selling gift card products preselected for the experiment
For each, we manually linked ~10 popular or trending games
Game offers were displayed directly on the gift card pages
3
Games suggestions on “Top-up Gift Cards” pages
User who is about to buy Top-up Gift Card for related Console Platform, wants to buy and play specific game available on this platform and would consider to buy a physical copy of this game.
New section on top-up gift card product pages promoting relevant physical console games.
The setup included:
10 top-selling top-up gift cards selected for the experiment
For each, we manually linked ~10 popular or trending games
Game offers were displayed directly on the gift card pages
Key takeaways
Synergy between console gift cards and physical games was identified - some users began purchasing physical editions more frequently.
⚠️ Cannibalization effect emerged : gift card sales slightly dropped as some users opted for physical games instead. However, overall profitability increased 📈 due to a higher ACV - physical products were often more expensive, despite having the same fee structure.
Mild up-selling effect was observed — some users bought hardware components together with games.
Users buy top-up gift cards not only to access games💡, but also to purchase in-game currencies, DLCs, and other add-ons.
Successful patterns from these experiments may be further automated or scaled in future iterations.
Product catalog main navigation.
Overview
Opis wariantu A - Wariant minimalistyczny UI - Wybor kategorii następował - wyslanie requestu następowało automatycznie po zmienie wartosci w selekcie kategorii, lub po użyciu przycisku klawiatury Enter
Opis Wariantu B - Wybor kategorii działał jak klasyczy select z koniecznościa manualnego zaaplikowania wyboru, wyslanie requesta następowało po uzyciu przycisku search lub uzyciu przycisku klawiatury Enter
Hypotheses & Result
#
Problem/Research hypothesis
Implemented Solution/Project hypothesis
Result / Impact
1
Brak możliwości wybrania wstepnie kategorii w obszarze której nastąpi wyszukiwanie.
Users who can narrow search results to specific categories are more likely to explore new product categories.
Allowing users to select categories for narrowed searches will:
- increase exposure to new categories and boost visits to physical product pages,
- improve conversion rates for physical products.
Key takeaways
Popularne rozwiązania stosowane na popularnych market placach i powszechnie używane design-patterny i funkcjonalności wcale nie muszą mieć pozytywnego impactu dla specyficznej grupy docelowej jaką są gracze.
Wyniki eksperymentu jeszcze raz dobitnie podkreśliły coś o czym poniekąd wiedzialismy, a mianowicie - wiekszosc customerow:
dokładnie wie czego szukają i wpisują nazwę konkretnego produktu, niekiedy dodając nawet słowa kluczowe określające platformę lub edycję danej gry
rzadko używają marketplacu jako miejsca w którym eksplorują nowe i nieznane tytuły
Możliwość wybór kategori w ramach której uzytkwonicy chca wyszukiwać wcale nie musi miec pozytywnego wpływu na jakośc otrzymanych wyników wyszukiwania.
Variant A was completely failed - Used uncommon ixd pattern with no action button completely failed. Dzięki porażce wariantu A - Jeszcze raz utwierdziłem się w słuszności mojego podejścia tradycjonalistycznego jeżeli chodzi o wybór patternów UI - Powszechne patterny lepiej się przyjmują u użytkowników, a zbytnia kreatywność wydaje się nie być wskazana.
Zbyt daleko idące różnice w podejściu do IxD (Variant A vs Variant B) nie jest wskazane w jednym eksperymencie, im mniejsze różnice w obu wariantach tym lepsze i bardziej wiarygodne wyniki eksperymentu.
Overview
Architecture designed based on Competitor analysis and in-house card sorting excersices.
3 variants of new information architecture designed based on Competitos analysis and in-house card sorting workshops (10 respondends)
Figjam z wariantami
Product catalog main navigation.
Hypothesis & Result
#
Problem/Research hypothesis
Implemented Solution/Project hypothesis
Result / Impact
1
Obecna struktura głwonej nawugacji nie promuję kategorii producktów fizycznych, większośc treści/pozycji w glwonej nawigacji nawiązuje do produktów cyrfowych, a kategorie produktów fizycznych są słabo dostępne.
The main menu places greater emphasis on digital products, while physical categories are not sufficiently highlighted.
Zmiana struktury glownego menu na taką która w równym stopku będzie promomowała kategorie zarówno firzyczne jak i cyfrowe, zwiększy wśród użytkwoników światomość istnienia nowych alternatycnych kategorii produktowych oraz zwiekszy tym samym odwiedzalnośc stron produktów fizycznych oraz w następstwie ich sprzedaż.
Providing a revised information architecture for the main menu, focused on new physical categories, will:
- increase exposure to these categories,
- boost visits to physical product pages,
- improve their CR
Overview
Z uwagi na niemożnośc wyreleasowania eksperymentu obejmującego zmianyw. postanowilismy wereleasować ekspertyment którów wyświetał na stronie głownej skróty do najważneisjzych, głownych kategorii produktów foizycznych.
Opis wariantu A
Opis Wariantu B
AI generated images for each (Midjourney)
Wereleasowane na Desktop + Mobile
Eksperyment trwał przez 30 dni.
Preview of A/B variant on desktop and mobile WEB envirnoment.
Preview of AI generated graphics (Midjourney) necessary for the experiement.
Hypothesis & Result
#
Problem/Research hypothesis
Implemented Solution/Project hypothesis
Result / Impact
1
Users are unaware of the new physical product categories or perceive them as “empty” with no content.
Displaying shortcuts to featured physical product categories will:
- increase traffic to these categories,
- improve their sales conversion rates.
Wyświetlenie skrótów do głownych kategorii produktów fizycznych na stronie głownej zwiększy wśród użytkwoników światomość istnienia nowych alternatycnych kategorii produktowych oraz zwiekszy tym samym odwiedzalnośc stron produktów fizycznych oraz w następstwie ich sprzedaż.
13 initiatives were formulated, reviewed, and evaluated by the team.
4 initiatives were selected based on impact and effort analysis.
6 successfully released A/B experiments.
✅ 4 experiments with confirmed positive impact.
❌ 1 experiment rejected due to technical constrains
❌ 1 experiment with not confirmed positive impact
💡 1 experiment with "non conclusive"? results (no positive, nor negative impact)
Few synergy-points identified for further in-depth research about how to use this synergy to increase sales/GMV
Having a well-defined strategy helped me deeply understand the problem space and the concept of synergy between digital and physical products. The strategy served as an inspiration rather than a strict prescription of solutions, allowing for more creative ideation.
Close collaboration and frequent discussions with PM significantly improved my ability to analyze and assess potential business impact (both positive and negative).
Experiments released on limited amount of products with limited and manually selected related-products, okazały się wystarczające aby potwierdzic wstępnie [ostawione hipotezy i były effortless for develpment.
Limited user research scope – Due to time constraints, interviews were conducted with personal contacts instead of a broader user base.
No direct competitor had a ready-to-copy solutions/patterns, requiring more experimentation.
