Lightning deal visibility

TL;DR

Shoppers were missing Lightning Deals without realizing there was a 15-minute checkout limit. I led a redesign to make timers clear and consistent across the shopping journey, reducing missed deals and driving +$167M in annualized revenue.

Problem

During major events like Prime Day and Black Friday, shoppers often missed Lightning Deals without realizing there was only a 15-minute checkout window after adding a deal to their cart. Research and customer service data showed over 3,600 global contacts from frustrated customers who lost their deals, many unaware of the timer altogether. Customers wanted clearer cues and reassurance that they could complete checkout before time ran out.

Solution

We introduced a more visible and consistent deal timer across key customer touch points to reduce confusion and increase completion rates:

• Enhanced Timer Placement: Added prominent countdowns on Deals pages, product detail pages, and in-cart views.

• Checkout Reminders: Introduced dynamic prompts reminding customers to check out before their deal expired.

• Unified Design Language: Created consistent timer patterns across devices and contexts for clarity during high-traffic events.

My Role

As design lead:

• Defined the end-to-end visibility strategy for Lightning Deals during peak events.

• Designed and prototyped new timer placements and behavioral reminders.

• Partnered with Product, Engineering, and Customer Service to align on goals and implementation.

• Led usability testing to validate awareness and confirm that new placements reduced missed deals.

Results & Impact

The changes were simple, but the results were huge:

• +$167M in annualized revenue from increased deal completion.

• Significant drop in customer service contacts, reducing frustration and negative sentiment.

• Recognized with Amazon’s Empty Desk Award for proactively solving a recurring customer pain point.

Strategic Takeaways

• Small, foundational UX changes can unlock massive business impact.

• Trust-building design = revenue-driving design.

• Think in flows, not pages, clarity across touch points creates confidence.