Before Val Geisler, our Director of Strategy, and Christine Carforo, our Director of Design, get on a call to walk through a brand's site, they work through a rigorous rubric. A strong user experience (UX) audit is a structured look at whether a site supports the brand's customer journey, especially heading into a high-traffic moment like Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM).

Here are the questions we always ask when preparing site audits for our CPG brands in food & beverage, beauty & skincare, healthy & wellness, and home, family & pet:

Does the Site Communicate What the Brand Sells Within Seconds?

If a first-time visitor can't tell what a product is, who it's for, and why it's different within a few seconds of landing, everything downstream gets harder. We look at hero sections, navigation labels, and above-the-fold content with this question first.

Is the Path From Discovery to Checkout Smooth?

We trace the number of steps and decisions a shopper has to make between finding a product and completing a purchase. Extra clicks, unclear sizing or bundling logic, and unnecessary form fields all add friction that compounds during high-traffic periods.

Does the Mobile Experience Hold Up Under Pressure?

Most CPG traffic arrives on mobile, and BFCM traffic spikes make that even more true. We check load times, tap targets, and whether key information (pricing, shipping, return policy) is visible without excessive scrolling.

Is the Product Information Consistent Everywhere It Appears?

We compare product descriptions, pricing, and claims across the site, ad landing pages, and any other surfaces we can access. Inconsistency erodes trust fast, and it's one of the most common gaps we find.

Does the Site Support the Segments the Brand Wants?

A site built for word-of-mouth discovery behaves differently than one built for a heavy paid-traffic strategy. We look at whether the structure, personalization, and CTAs match how the brand plans to acquire and convert customers during BFCM.

We're Applying This Rubric Live, on One Submitted Brand's Site

This is the exact framework Val and Christine use to shortlist finalists for our live site audit series. One brand gets a full, unscripted teardown on September 23rd before the BFCM code freeze. Every brand that submits has the chance to win one of five Nintendo Switch 2s, and is eligible for a discounted UX Audit and BFCM Roadmap.

Submissions close September 16th. Submit your site for a teardown.

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