Overview

At mobile.de, Germany’s largest online vehicle marketplace, advertising is one of the biggest revenue drivers. However, users had developed banner blindness and frustration with ad density, while OEMs struggled to showcase new models effectively through traditional placements. I led the UX for a new branded advertising experience, introducing a dedicated Brand Page and contextual entry points designed to balance user needs with advertiser goals while improving engagement and discovery.

Role & team

I was the product designer of the Advertising team, in addition to supporting my existing team, as they didn’t have their own dedicated designer yet. The team consisted of a front-end developer, a back end developer, an iOS and an Android developer, a product manager and a data analyst.

Timeline

April - September 2024

My contribution

I led the end-to-end UX for the MVP of the Brand Page, from ideation to rollout. This included concept development, prototyping, and iterative user testing. I integrated research insights to refine the experience and finalized the design across platforms.

In addition, I defined and optimized the entry points to the Brand Page through stakeholder collaboration and rapid exploration, improving discoverability and alignment with OEM goals.

Main objectives

• Define and execute the MVP for a dedicated Brand Page experience.

• Understand user behavior and expectations on the Brand Page, as well as OEM advertising goals.

• Create contextual entry points to the brand page and drive qualified traffic for our first partner, SKODA.
  
  

OEM Insights

A key challenge was balancing OEM goals with user needs. To better understand OEM expectations, we ran an empathy mapping workshop with mobile.de account managers and identified three primary goals:

• Drive qualified traffic to OEM websites and configurators

• Promote newest vehicle models and generate leads

• Increase visibility of OEM-certified listings on mobile.de

Key Insights

• Certified listings and newest models were perceived as most valuable

• Some users didn’t understand “certified listings”

• Users expected certified listings to be nearby

• The main value of the brand page was discovering newest models on mobile.de

Finalising the brand page

SKODA, part of the Volkswagen Group, was our first partner for the Brand Page. The insights from the user tests and final discussions with SKODA regarding their specific needs guided our iterations, shaping the final design for launch.

SKODA’s main goal was to drive configurator visits for their newest model, Elroq. To support this, I dedicated the top promotional slot to Elroq and added a prominent CTA to SKODA’s configurator.

Users were unclear about what “certified vehicles” meant and whether listings were available nearby. To improve clarity, I added benefit highlights and a location filter to show relevant certified listings in their area.

User testing showed that some sections added little value for both users and OEM goals. Based on these findings, we removed lower-impact sections such as statistics and reviews to simplify the experience and focus attention on the most relevant content.

Once the Brand Page experience was defined, we focused on building contextual entry points across the search funnel to drive qualified traffic to SKODA’s Brand Page.

1. Search Results Page

We started with the search results page, one of the highest-traffic pages across the user journey.

Problem

The production experience relied on generic banner ads placed above search results, often without relevance to the user’s search criteria.

Hypothesis

Entry points aligned with the user’s search criteria would increase engagement compared to generic banner ads.

Experiment

We tested two variations on the search results page:

• Variation A: large banner above search results

• Variation B: smaller placement between vehicle listings

Both variations were shown only to users searching for Skoda or similar brands.

The results showed users engaged more with ads relevant to their search compared to the generic production banners. While the in-feed placement felt more integrated into the browsing experience, the larger banner format drove stronger visibility and ultimately higher engagement.

2. Vehicle Info Page

We also explored contextual entry points on the vehicle info page.

Problem

The production experience used side banner ads that competed with core vehicle content and lacked contextual relevance.

Hypothesis

A contextual entry point integrated into the page content would feel more relevant and improve engagement.

Experiment

We tested replacing the side banner ads with a contextual entry point integrated into the vehicle info page content:

• Variation: contextual entry point integrated into the page

• Control: side banner ads placed next to the vehicle information

Both variations were shown only on vehicle info pages related to Skoda and similar brands.

The results indicated that contextual placements integrated into the vehicle info page content felt more relevant and less disruptive than traditional side banner ads.

Next steps

The MVP launch for SKODA was successful, leading to additional Brand Pages for Hyundai, BMW, and Volkswagen.

Next, we focused on scaling the concept by optimizing existing entry points and exploring new touchpoints across the marketplace journey, including the Homepage and Favorites. We continued iterating through experimentation and A/B testing to improve discoverability and engagement.