Transforming Digital Complexity into Customer-Centered Growth
MarineMax partnered with Verndale to improve key parts of its digital experience, with a strong focus on product detail pages, homepage/navigation strategy, and the broader path to conversion across the site.
The work combined customer insight, UX and design refinement, technical platform improvements, and ongoing optimization to make MarineMax’s experience easier to navigate, more conversion-oriented, and more aligned to how people actually shop for boats online.
The Challenge
MarineMax’s digital experience carried significant business weight. Product detail pages were close to the point of conversion, while the homepage served as the highest-visibility entry point for the broader experience.
At the same time, the existing experience was too complex. Internal strategy materials called out a homepage with too much information and an expansive navigation structure that did not best serve target shoppers or reflect the breadth of the MarineMax business.
On the PDP side, the core issue was not a lack of information, but how that information was presented. Verndale’s research found that the PDP delivered the right information in the wrong way for a digital audience.
Our Approach
Start with customer behavior
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We began with customer needs assessment and audience research to better understand how people shop for boats and what information they need at the point of evaluation.
For homepage and navigation work, the process also included competitive analysis, data and analytics review, content inventory assessment, and card sorting to validate how users group content and move through the experience.
Simplify key journeys
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For PDPs, Verndale prioritized clearer information hierarchy, better access to CTAs, more transparent pricing and financing information, and sticky navigation to reduce friction throughout the page.
For the homepage and navigation, the goal was to create a more focused experience that improved wayfinding and drove users to action faster.
Align UX, design, and technical execution
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Verndale corrected design inconsistencies by aligning PDPs with the broader design system and pairing the visual work with technical improvements in Sitecore, personalization tooling, and promotional functionality.
The roadmap also connected experience improvements to broader business goals like increasing SQLs, reducing abandonment, improving UX, and establishing MarineMax as a stronger “one stop shop” digital brand.
Strategy in Action. Impact by Design.
MarineMax is a strong example of our team using UX, product thinking, and technical execution together. The work was not limited to a visual cleanup. It focused on clarifying key customer journeys, improving high-value templates, modernizing supporting technology, and creating a more efficient path from exploration to lead generation.
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Product detail pages were redesigned around bottom-of-funnel decision-making, with critical information and next steps prioritized more effectively for digital shoppers.
Navigation was simplified so users could find relevant actions and pathways faster.
Homepage strategy focused on reducing complexity and creating a clearer front door to the MarineMax experience.
Discovery for homepage restructuring included card sorting and information-architecture work to make structural decisions more user-informed.
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Sitecore Forms and Sitecore XP were implemented to support more dynamic, personalized content experiences.
Sitecore Managed Cloud provided scalability for more complex experience scenarios.
Promotional and financing tools were integrated to make pricing and purchase considerations more transparent.
Ongoing optimization included machine-learning-based product recommendations, CTA testing, search-focused content enhancements, and improved internal linking.
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Early results showed a 104% increase in PDP engagement despite declining sales in the broader market.
PDP views increased by 83%.
Views per session increased by 88%, with visitors exploring more than three product pages per session versus fewer than two the previous year.
Homepage and navigation were identified as a high-priority business initiative because the homepage was the highest viewed single page and served as the first digital touchpoint for 179K visitors over five months.
The MarineMax roadmap tied enhanced PDP work to an estimated 20% increase in SQLs.
