Podro Explorer – Mobile Web Case Study
How I redesigned the explore page to help Instagram shops get real orders
Overview
Podro Explorer is part of the Podro ecosystem.
It shows many Instagram shops together in one explore page. Users can buy from these shops without VPN, with secure online payments and even installment plans.
In the first version, this page looked more like a static showcase and did not help sales very much. I redesigned the page for the mobile web version to:
make discovering shops simple and trustworthy for users
turn Explorer into a real sales channel for sellers
For example, during Black Friday, one jewellery shop received 25 confirmed orders in one day through Podro Explorer.
My role
Product Designer (light research, problem framing, flows, UI, states)
The Problem
Before the redesign, Podro Explorer had a few main problems:
Shops were not really visible
Many Instagram shops were inside Podro, but they did not get real orders from Explorer. Some of them were inactive in the panel for a long time.Users did not understand the purpose of the page
When users opened Explorer, it was not clear:Is this only a list of shops?
Is it an ad page?
Is it about products or categories?
No strong focus on categories and relevant suggestions
Users who wanted a specific type of product (for example jewellery, beauty, food, home products) had to scroll through a long, similar list.Podro’s value was not visible in the UI
Important benefits like no VPN, secure payment, fast checkout and installments were not clear on the page.
So users did not feel a strong reason to buy through Podro Explorer.
Goals
For this redesign I had three main goals:
Increase sales from Podro Explorer
I wanted Instagram shops to get real orders from Explorer, especially in big campaigns like Black Friday.Make the purpose of the page clear for users
When a user opens Explorer, they should quickly understand:“Here I can find trusted Instagram shops, see offers, and start shopping.”
Build more trust in Podro as a safe way to buy
The page should show that Podro gives:no need for VPN
secure payment
fast and easy checkout
the option to pay in installments
Approach & Insights – What I learned
From checking the old design, looking at data and thinking about real user scenarios, I found a few key insights:
Users think in categories, not brands
Most people first think about the type of product (jewellery, beauty, food, home, etc.) and only after that about the shop name.Small trust signals change decisions
Things like a clear discount badge, a clean card, and seeing the Podro brand make users feel safer to click and buy from a new shop.Sellers want a fair and clear way to be visible
They are happy if Explorer shows different shops in a fair way inside each category, not only a few “big” sellers.If Podro’s benefits are not shown, they don’t exist in the user’s mind
When the UI does not show “no VPN”, “secure payment”, “installments” and “fast checkout”, users do not feel a strong reason to use Podro instead of buying directly on Instagram.
Solution – How I redesigned Podro Explorer
1) Categories section – a clear entry point
In the new design, the first thing users see is a “Categories” block:
a clean grid with icons and titles for each category
(for example: Jewellery, Beauty & Care, Home, etc.)each category is easy to recognize and easy to tap on mobile
🎯 Goal:
Help users quickly choose the type of products they want, instead of scrolling a long mixed list.
2) Shop list inside each category, simple, scannable cards
On the category page, each shop is shown as a simple row-style card:
shop name (for example “Blue Shop”)
short category label (for example “Beauty and Health shops”)
a discount badge like “20% OFF” to highlight offers
a clear and repeated button: “View” to open the shop or its products
🎯 Why:
users can compare many shops very fast
discount badges give a strong reason to click
using one simple CTA (“View”) keeps the decision easy
3) Showing Podro’s value at the bottom of the page
At the bottom of the Explorer page, I added a short information block that explains:
what Podro does for buyers and sellers
that users can buy without VPN, with secure online payment, and even in installments
Next to the text, I used small trust elements (icons or badges) to support this message.
🎯 Expected effect:
Users do not only see shops;
they understand why buying through Podro is safer and easier than buying directly on Instagram.
Impact – What changed after the redesign?
The Black Friday campaign was a good moment to see the real effect of the new Explorer design.
Around 30% more orders from Podro Explorer
During Black Friday, the number of orders coming from Podro Explorer was about 30% higher compared to the period before the campaign.Example: one jewellery shop with strong results
For example, during Black Friday one jewellery shop received 25 confirmed orders in one day through Podro Explorer.Inactive shops became active again
Some shops that had not used the Podro panel for a long time started to get new orders again, because they were now easier to discover inside Explorer.Better understanding of Podro’s value
In short talks after the campaign, users could explain more clearly why they bought through Podro.
Many of them mentioned:“I used Podro because I didn’t need VPN and the payment felt safer and easier than buying directly on Instagram.”