UI/UX CASE STUDY 2 | Divya Pillai 2

Food Clearance App

Timeline: 1 Week

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Prevent Food Waste & Save Money

Divya Pillai

PROJECT 2

Divya Pillai

Reduce food wastage by buying discounted,

near-expiry, good quality groceries.

Problem Statement

Local retailers frequently fail to manage products that are nearing their expiration dates, only realizing the issue after they’ve expired, which results in food waste and lost revenue. Additionally, they struggle with finding and retaining customers who are willing to buy the near expiry products.

Customers, on the other hand, are fed up with rising food costs. Often they are unaware of available discounted grocery items or clearance sales nearby, limiting their ability to take advantage of savings opportunities. Also, they often have concerns about the quality or safety of such items, making it difficult to trust and engage with clearance sales.

Despite being home to a significant portion of the world’s population facing hunger and malnutrition, India also grapples with a substantial amount of food waste.

Possible Solution

Retailers can sell the near-expiry food items at a discount on the app, so they can recover at least 50% of the cost they originally paid for the products, preventing complete losses from unsold stock.

Instead of allowing these items to expire and become waste, offering them at a reduced price helps move inventory quickly, especially for perishables that have a limited shelf life. This strategy not only helps retailers minimize losses but also reduces food wastage.

Customers on the other hand can save a lot of money on their grocery bills. The app allows them to quickly find clearance items by allowing them to easily browse and filter products by category, discount percentage, or expiry date. Customers can also have the items delivered to their home for added convenience. Alternatively, they can use geolocation to find nearby stores with clearance food items available, allowing them to visit the store directly if they prefer to avoid delivery fees.

Furthermore, customers can access a wider range of nutritious food items that they might not have been able to afford otherwise. This is particularly crucial in India, where over 100 crore people, or approximately 74.1% of the population, struggle to afford healthy food. [Source]

This creates a mutually beneficial situation, where both retailers and customers gain—retailers recover part of their costs, while customers can buy affordable, healthy food items and contribute to reducing food waste.

Design Thinking Process

Emphatize Phase

Qualitative Research

I did an interview with 4 people to better grasp the issue and to find out users needed. It helped me understand the problem more and helped brainstorm solutions.

Interview Questions

What factors influence your decision to purchase discounted or near-expiry food items?
How often do you shop for groceries using mobile apps, and what features do you find most helpful?
What concerns, if any, do you have about purchasing near-expiry food items?
What would make you more likely to use an app that offers discounted near-expiry food items?
How important is sustainability or reducing food waste when making food purchasing decisions?

Key Insight Derived

Price is a primary driver in their decision-making process while buying food items.
Customers may have reservations about purchasing near-expiry items due to concerns about product quality and safety. Building trust through clear information on expiry dates and product conditions is important. Customer reviews of the items or stores can help with the decision making.
Users are more likely to engage with the app if it offers easy browsing, filtering by discounts, notifications about relevant deals, and easy access to both delivery and local store options.
Consumers in general, are motivated by the desire to reduce food wastage. They are more likely to purchase near-expiry products if they believe it contributes positively to society.