How user research helped turn EnergyStack into a $450K+ business

At Rivy (formerly Payhippo), we provided financing for customers purchasing solar installations. But customers still needed to be connected to solar vendors to complete their purchases.

We saw an opportunity to bring both experiences together.

We conducted initial research, received positive feedback, and designed detailed user flows for vendors, customers, and internal administrators.

We then created a prototype to validate the concept with our existing solar vendor partners.

We scheduled a prototype walkthrough with representatives from three solar vendors who were already working with Rivy.

The presentation went well on the surface. Nobody had negative feedback, but there wasn't much excitement either.

So I asked a question:

Who on your team would be responsible for uploading and managing your products?

That was when we discovered the problem.

Our research had validated the opportunity, but not the business model we had designed around it.

The research prompted a broader team discussion about how we could solve the same customer problem without relying on vendors to manage storefronts.

We collectively decided to pivot.

This introduced new operational responsibilities. The company brought in a Head of E-commerce, while we built pricing, inventory, and vendor fulfilment management into our existing internal admin portal.

As Lead Product Designer, I led product design through the transition, working with another designer and four engineers to translate the new direction into a working product.

With the new model agreed, we moved quickly to validate it.

We prioritised a web-first experience to reduce development complexity and launch faster. Customers could browse solar products, add items to their cart, and choose between paying outright or checking out with Rivy financing.

We also designed the internal tools needed to support product pricing, inventory, and vendor fulfilment.

Working closely with engineering, we moved from the redesigned concept to a working MVP in approximately four weeks.

We subsequently integrated EnergyStack into Rivy's mobile app.

After launch, we noticed a problem. EnergyStack was attracting visitors, but many weren't progressing to purchase.

We conducted a user research audit to understand why.

By then, many had already left.

We realised we were presenting financing as a payment method when it could be a reason to purchase in the first place.

What we changed

We redesigned how financing appeared throughout the shopping journey.

Homepage: Show affordability from the beginning

We introduced financing-led banners and product promotions highlighting the option to pay a fraction of the product cost upfront.

Product details: Make financing visible just where they see the prices

Instead of showing only the full price, we displayed personalised financing breakdowns for each product, including the upfront payment and repayment options.

Checkout: Preserve the choice and show possibility of financing still

Customers could still pay outright or use financing, but they now understood their options before reaching checkout.

By bringing affordability into the product discovery experience, we aligned EnergyStack more closely with what customers needed and Rivy's financing objectives.

EnergyStack quickly showed commercial promise.

Within its first two months, the product generated approximately $35K in gross sales and contributed to an 8% increase in Rivy's total loan book value.

In less than a year, EnergyStack generated over $450K in gross product sales, becoming a significant source of sales for the business.

EnergyStack taught me that good product decisions aren't always about building what users initially say they want.

Our first major breakthrough came from discovering that vendors weren't willing to do the work our marketplace required. The second came from realising that financing needed to influence purchasing decisions long before checkout.

In both cases, the solution came from challenging how we'd approached the problem, rather than simply improving the interface.