Reducing TradeMe Member Debt
Driving behavioural change through increased adoption of automated payments
TradeMe | Product Designer
Problem
Members were accumulating significant debt due to low awareness and poor discoverability of automated payment tools.
Solution
Increased visibility of the Autobiller feature at high-intent moments within the user journey.
Impact
Delivered a 200% increase in Autobiller activation, far exceeding the 5% target, shifting repayment behaviour from reactive to automated.
Overview
Trade Me members can accumulate debt through platform fees, often reaching thousands of dollars per month.
While an existing feature, Autobiller (auto-sweep Direct Debit), enabled automatic repayments, it was underutilised due to poor discoverability.
Challenge
User Problem
Members were unaware of Autobiller
Payment management was manual and reactive
Debt often felt sudden and difficult to manage
Business Goals
Reduce member debt at scale → Even a 5% improvement would deliver meaningful financial impact
Improve user experience → Reduce long-term friction in managing account balances
Deliver a low-cost solution → Leverage existing features rather than building new systems
Dicovery
Opportunity
Solution
Increased Visibility | Contextual Placement | Reduced Friction
Testing
Validation
Increased adoption
No negative impact
Improved clarity
Consumer Duty
✔ Transparent
✔ Ethical
✔ Clear
Impact
User
Less stress
Better awareness
Business
Reduced debt
Higher repayment
Product
High ROI
Low effort
Shifted behaviour from reactive to automated payments.
Learnings
1. Visibility drives behaviour
2. Optimise existing features
3. Segment users (Pro vs Casual)