Transforming the Investment Institute to drive engagement and interest in funds

AXA IM's Investment Institute users struggled to navigate and differentiate between insight areas, leading to high drop-off rates. There was minimal traffic flowing from aricles to fund-related content, and subscription growth remained stagnant due to a lack of prominent sign-up opportuntites. Our task was to streamline the user experience, improve content pathways, and drive engagement across touch points.

We restructured the site and introduced key design changes to create a more intuitive experience. Simplified navigation, smarter filtering, and curated content blocks made discovery easier.

Article pages were optimised with strategic promotions to guide users further. Author pages highlighted expertise with bios and multimedia content, while additional subscription touchpoints encouraged sign-ups throughout the experience.

By analysing user behaviour, we uncovered core challenges affecting the investment institute experience. Overlapping insight areas created confusion and high drop-off, while a complex structure and limited filters made article discovery difficult. Minimal links to related content reduced onward journeys, and low-visibility sign-up options hindered subscription growth.

Initially an extension of the Research & Insights section, the Investment Institute was restructured to become the primary destination for all insights content. By consolidating relevant material under one central hub, we significantly imporved the user journey, leading to a 49% decrease in drop-off between landing and article pages.

The article routing page was redesigned to improve both search and browsing experiences. Key updates included a new filtering system and curated content blocks, allowing site managers to highlight important articles. This approach boosted user engagement, reduced drop-off by 33% and saw 24% of users engaging with the filters and 16% interacting with the curated content block.

We added key takeaways and article summaries at the top to improve engagement and highlight important insights right away. A dynamic side panel now drives traffic to AXA IM's strategy and product pages, while an improved related articles module makes exploring content easier. These updates led to a 28% reduction in drop-off rates and an 8% increase in users visiting fund pages.

To boost SEO and increase expert visibility, we redesigned the author pages to enhance credibility and improve content discovery. Each page now included a detailed author bio, a curated list of their latest articles, and categorised tags for easier navigation. As a result, 9% of users who view articles also visit author detail pages, and 38% of users on auhtor pages interact with tags or media content.

To drive subscription growth, we introduced a scrolling side panel promotion and an embedded subscription form at the bottom of articles. These non-intrusive, seamless enhancements provided users with more opportunities to subscribe, increasing engagement and data capture. As a result, subscriptions grew by 207% from 2023 to 2024, driven by improved visibility and user-friendly sign-up options.

We redesigned the Main Navigation drop-down to improve content discovery, making the Investment institute more accessible and surfacing key insights through the "Discover" section. We also introduced a new download touchpoint, offering users an easier way to access important documents. These changes contributed to a more streamlined and engaging user experience.

The enhanced AXA IM Investment Institute user experience has significantly improved engagement and subscription conversion, and traffic to fund pages.

By refining the user experience, we achieved a 33% reduction in drop-off rates on the landing page, a decrease from 55% to 22%, and saw a 207% increase in subscriptions year-on-year. Additionally, there was a 9% increase in users viewing product pages from articles, demonstrating the impact of our improvements.