Transforming Urban Shopping Experiences
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An innovative service for young urban professionals that brings producers and consumers closer together (and bears fruit).
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An innovative service for young urban professionals that brings producers and consumers closer together (and bears fruit).
Moon Creative Lab is a venture studio (subsidiary of Mitsui & Co.) that funds & incubates early stage startups. They were seeking for a new business idea with market potential.
Along with a team of 3 other consultants, we researched ways to transform grocery shopping experiences in urban centers and foster more communication between shoppers with farmers. The goal of the project was to pitch to Moon Creative Lab the market potential for a product like this.
We were able to pitch the idea to Moon Creative Lab which was then implemented as a business venture idea that was then implemented in SMAP (Moon Creative Lab's digital platform for employees within companies to exchange and develop buisiness ideas).
The Ringo app would be connected to the physical store where consumers can see what's in stock at the stores for the day, order ahead, and also spend time to read about the farmers they buy from. The App was the first part of our solution
One of the pain points we discovered about grocery shopping in urban centers is how most people struggle to know what is in stock, having to calculate time to spend at the store and preparing a grocery list.
For those that have shorter time to spend at the store and to facilitate the 'convenience' we designed a feature to order ahead and have it ready at the front.
After synthesizing all our different ideas, our group came up with a urban farmers market with an app integration. While the end goal is to have a physical store, we acknowledge that there can be different levels of integrations that may start with an appropriation of existing urban space.
The key experience was also to integrate a space to traditional grocery stores to learn about the farmer and the produce.
The floor plan outlines our central visions: creating a 'connecting center' where you can spend leisurely time getting to connect with farmers and explore new food while being surrounded by shopping aisles
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Pocket parks are small, active public spaces created in the existing public right-of-way. They can be located in medians, curb extensions, or in the furnishings zone on sufficiently wide sidewalks. There was a potential business opportunity to adapt existing space and integrate our floorplan
One of the pain points were that they find trying new fresh produce can be an intimidating experience. We wanted to create physical space to let farmers sample food using their produce and use it as a way to connect with their consumers
The pick up corner and cashier is where consumers can check out the produce they pick up at the farmers booth / aisle or pick up the produce they checked out on the app
our concept was to marry together convenience of grocery shopping while also making it a rewarding experience for both farmers and customers. The free flowing access from the aisle and the connecting center allows consumers to spend as much leisure time as they want while getting necessary groceries.
Finally, by integrating the app with the physical grocery shopping experience, urban professionals can be invited to shop in-person and invest more time in connecting with farmers and their produce
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1. The companion app will facilitate buying from rural farmer and be integrated with the physical grocery store experience.
2. Young urban professionals have more accessibility to urban markets and stories of the farmers from any location.
3. Inviting consumers to shop at urban markets and feel connect with local farmers.
⌲ Rural farmers have a hard time reaching the market and don't know how to expand their customer base
⌲ Direct consumer to producer sales are small: 35% of direct farm sales were to consumers (USDA)
⌲ About half of farms that sell directly to consumers are in metropolitan counties, and more than 80% sell within 100 miles of the farm.
⌲ "Experience Economy" is booming: 78% of young urban professionals prefer the experience of buying local produce
⌲ 22% increase in online agricultural-commerce during pandemic
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Each produce has a story behind it: whether it is about the farming technique used to grow the food or about the farmer. But these things go mostly unrecognized in conventional supermarkets.
Our goal was to help consumer to get fresh produce and allow them to feel part of the experience of growing food, as well as help producers to expand their customer base and share their stories.
Farmers markets vs 'Super'markets:
Our team conducted a 'guerilla-style' interview by visiting the Berkeley Farmers market and Safeway (large supermarket). The aim of the interview was to gain initial insights to people's thoughts and better understand the problem space
- "Farmers Market Information" booth is the only way to find out about vendors, farmers, what is available that day
- Most young adults only buy 1-2 items
Key Quotes:
" What I enjoy about farmers markets are being able to converse with the producers I am buying from. The experience feels more rewarding that way "
- The physical set up is made to scan all items at once
- No information/ very little information of the producer
Key Quotes:
" When Im grocery shopping Im mainly just thinking about how to efficiently and quickly get the grocery that I need."
" (at supermarkets) There aren't any ways to know the farmers the produce are coming from. I just associate the produce with the Supermarket"
Studying College Students and Young Professionals:
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1. People find that supporting a local buisness/farmer is a rewarding experience when they have the opportunity to shop at a farmers market
While our survey results showed that 90% of respondents generally chooses super markets and online ordering for the convenience, they generally want to learn more about the produce and feel compelled to spend more when they feel connection to the farmers/producers they are buying from.
2. Trying new food can feel intimidating and complex
Our interview with urban professionals also proved that what deters people from investing in local and fresh produce is not knowing how to cook with it or what makes them unique.
If there was a rewarding experience to feel more connected with the farmers, urban professionals want to know more about the source of their food.
Interviewing Young Professionals and Farmers:
"I think nowadays, especially for people our age, they are willing to spend more time on educating themselves about the source of the food. We would be wanting to learn more about where are food comes from but accessibility is always big"
" securing good relationships with your distributer is tough. In order to make change, you need adjacent stakeholders to work together"
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3. Farmers have a desire for a more stable relationship with distributors who celebrate their craft and their produce
Our interview with Berkeley's local farmer showed that most of them have trouble with the 'middle men' when it comes to distributing food. They not like large conglomerates owning food distributions because are not knowledgeable of how to take care of the produce and do no celebrate their craft.
4. Food safety and quality is a priority for customers especially through the pandemic
Due to their concerns about food hygiene, since the epidemic started, research has shown that 77.3% reported that the frequency of eating out has decreased and there are growing desire for more local, fresh produce.
With our group, we conducted ideations sessions where we first synthesized key concept based on our insights, brainstormed all our ideas, and then chose the ones we want to continue to build on.
we then used the 2x2 matrix to assess all the ideas the team has brainstorm. The 4 criteria for this matrix was decided by what the group believed are central to the project goals/ client needs.
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The user flow diagram for farmers plans out a more sustainable distribution model between farmers and the distributors (Moon)
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The user flow for urban professionals demonstrates how the service app integrates with the physical urban shopping experience. It is based on the service app and reimagined urban market that we both designed.
One of the most valuable experience of working on this project was collaborating in such a diverse group with my peers and and the consistent exchange of feedback. I got to immerse myself in various research methods and constantly engaging in conversations about how to transform grocery experiences
My unique contribution to the project:
As an architecture major, I was happy to bring in my expertise about physical design and space design. I was able to create physical renderings to visualize how a 'space' that integrate both the storytelling aspect of grocery shopping and the convinience of getting groceries would look like
What I still would have liked to improve:
I think something we could have thought about more was the business opportunity and viability of a solution like this. While I think that building the ringo market from ground up may take a while, it was important that our solution conveys the central concept of what a new shopping experience would look like. This could have different levels of integration such as appropriating existing space or adaptations to existing space that incorporates aspects highlighted in the floor plan. It could also mean businesses to start with the app integration and then work towards the in-store experience.
