An automated flow for merchandizers
Pre-booking allows Roamlers to reserve merchandising tasks in advance so they can plan their work and receive required materials on time. Before this feature, both Roamlers and internal teams relied heavily on manual coordination, causing inefficiencies, missed tasks, and unpredictable scheduling. This project aimed to create a clear, scalable pre-booking flow used across the Netherlands, UK, Belgium, and Germany.
Goals
1.
Give Roamlers a transparent way to plan tasks in advance
2.
Reduce manual work for internal teams
3.
Create one consistent workflow across countries
4.
Increase task reliability and reduce last-minute issues
5.
Support future automation and scalability
Discovering the tasks is not the most critical issue.
After doing a Heuristic Evaluation, I realized that the pre-booking flow had more critical issues than the ones mentioned and finding the pre-booking tasks wasn't the worst.
Unclear affordance: Showing the pre-booking tasks as locked would make the users think they cannot do anything. the card also is presented as an inactive card.
There is no labels/distinguisher to show the difference between pre-booking and other merchandising tasks
The user can see the availability day and time but cannot save it or add it to a calendar to remember
This task will become available on 13-02-2025, 12:00
[Pre-booking] Minced pie
Will be available on 2-03-2025
up to € 10,00
400 m
After the task starts there is only 4 hours for the user to complete it making it more probable to be missed
Messages ine the app is the only way to communicate information about the pre-booking tasks. Yet the user should search for the title manually.
⚡️
RM Pre-book: (€8) Red Bull Zero
Albert Heijn · Kinkerstraat 157
€ 10,00
400 m
In progress
Expires in 2 hours
Expires in 4 hours
Maria
Vanavond kun je pre-booken voor de Red Bull schapstroken in week 16 & 17. Lees voor meer informatie de beschrijving van de taak in de app.
RM: (€15) Pre-book RB Schapstrokenronde - W16/17
Pre-book starttijd: 20:00 Datum: vrijdag 17-04 t/m zondag 26-04
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Predictability, availability and commitment should all come together
I gathered a couple of insightful facts and ideas from the conversations I had with users and stakeholders realizing different pain point from different aspects of the job.
User interviews
Roamlers want predictability in their schedules
They don't read long instructions, clarity must be visual
They want to see availability at a glance
They need clear confirmation that the pre-booking was
successful
Stakeholder Communication
Internal teams need Roamlers to confirm tasks earlier
They need transparent location availability
They need to send materials in advance
Problem
The lack of a clear pre-booking mechanism created friction for both Roamlers and internal teams. Roamlers were confused about availability and planning rules, while internal teams spent hours manually assigning tasks. The system was unreliable and inconsistent.
Two main User Groups
Based on our interviews we realized there are two types of merchandisers.
Steps to be taken
I created the user user flow which would cover the potential steps for a pre-booking task from the moment user explores the tasks to the final stage of completing it.
Validation & Testing
With the Product owner I ran moderated sessions with 3 users from the Netherlands and 4 users from the UK. I clarified the prototype limitations, and focused on understanding whether the flow matched their mental model. Despite confusion with the prototype's fidelity, several assumptions were confirmed.
“If it wasn't pre-booked, I would need to message the team and arrange every time - this would take much more time"
👴🏻 47 years old, UK
“Smooth and easy flow, even though the task can be lengthy at times."
👨🏻 44 years old, UK
“The pre-booking process is smooth, receiving goods is easy, I usually get track&trace to make sure everything is delivered."
👩🏼 34 years old, NL
“I can create my route beforehand and know weeks ahead which locations I am going to visit."
🧔♂️ 42 years old, NL
Key Findings
Overall, users found the new flow user-friendly and easier to use.
Positive feedback on pre-booking task visibility, as users no longer need to check notes/messages.
Some users still want tasks to be in their to-do list, while others prefer a separate tab for pre-booked tasks.
Pre-booked tasks are picked up too quickly, making it hard for users to review details before booking.
Some concerns around fairness and usability issues, including unclear wording, execution timing, and technical bugs.
Designs
Key screens showing the complete pre-booking flow from discovery to confirmation.
Key Screens
Task List
Task Detail
Address Confirmation
Availability Confirmation
Challenges
We had different opposing opinions on some of the steps. One of the main ones was how to show the list of pre-booking tasks.
Single list
Separate lists
Impact
Reduced manual planning workload for internal/operational teams
Increased adoption across multiple countries
Roamlers reported more clarity and better predictability
Created a foundation for future improvements and automation
“Even though the back-office flow is being refined in later phases, the B2C pre-booking experience is launched and actively used. It successfully reduces friction for Roamlers, clarifies planning, and lays the foundation for cross-country scheduling automation.”
Limitations & Next Steps
Back-office workflows still need improvement
Task summary (size, effort, time window) before booking.
Reminder popup/calendar integrations when a pre-booked task becomes executable.
Clients need better reporting to replace old manual systems
Some countries have additional requirements not yet supported
Pre-booking flow should connect better with task grouping
Final Reflection
This project taught me how to design for a complex B2B2C ecosystem and balance user needs with operational constraints. It also showed the importance of clear communication, simple flows, and iterative validation, especially when users are not comfortable with prototypes.
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