Savour

Product Experience

Problem Space 

Problem Statement  

Food waste is a global issue that harms the environment and contributes to social inequality. Many food retailers have to throw away food that is close to expiring, while many consumers struggle to afford nutritious food. How might we reduce food waste and increase food security by connecting these two groups?

Problem Background 

Food waste is a global problem that has negative impacts on the environment, society and economy. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted every year. This amounts to about 1.3 billion tonnes of food, which could feed 2 billion people. Food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, land degradation and biodiversity loss. It also represents a huge economic loss, estimated at $940 billion per year. Moreover, food waste is a moral issue, as millions of people around the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition, while edible food is thrown away. In 2020, about 690 million people were undernourished, and this number is expected to rise due to the ever so increasing cost of living.

Research Insights

User Pain Points

Many users face various challenges and barriers when it comes to reducing food waste and increasing food security. They often waste food due to poor planning, management and consumption of their food purchases and they struggle to find affordable and nutritious food options that match their preferences and needs. They lack awareness and education on the environmental and social impacts of food waste and food insecurity (66.7% of respondents) and they encounter time and convenience constraints that limit their ability to adopt more sustainable and responsible food behaviors and practices (53.3% of respondents).

They also lack incentives and motivation to change their habits (46.7% of respondents) and they are dissatisfied with the existing solutions and initiatives that aim to address this problem (73% of respondents), as they perceive them as unreliable, inaccessible, limited and low-quality. They have unmet needs and expectations for more information and education (76.7% of respondents); convenience and accessibility (66.7% of respondents); choice, support, collaboration, value, intelligence, fun and impact regarding food waste and food security (60% of respondents).

Landing on the Solution 

Based on the Research Synthesis findings, the solution or intervention that best addresses the problem of food waste and food security is Savour, a virtual marketplace that connects food retailers and consumers. Savour enables food retailers to list their surplus or close-to-expiring food inventory and offer them at a discounted price to consumers. Consumers can browse and buy the food items they want from a variety of local stores. Savour is a win-win solution for both retailers and consumers, as it helps them reduce food waste, save money and protect the environment.

Explanation of Solution 

A user can open Savour and see a map of nearby food retailers that have surplus food items available. The food items can be filtered by category, price, distance, rating and expiry date. The consumer will also see the quality and freshness of the food items by viewing the photos and descriptions provided by the food retailers.

Consumers can opt to receive notifications or alerts from Savour when food items that match their preferences and dietary needs are available at nearby food retailers. They can tap on the notification or alert to reserve the food item and pay for it online or in person. They can also see the estimated time and distance to reach the food retailer and the directions to get there.

Consumers also have the option to rate and review the food item and the food retailer. Each consumer will see how much food waste and money they have saved by buying the food item. They can also earn rewards or incentives for buying the food item, such as coupons, vouchers, points or badges.

User Flows/Mockups

Click here to preview the prototype flow for the screenshot below

Future Steps

• Validate and refine Savour by conducting more user research, testing and feedback and by incorporating the user needs and expectations into the product design and development.
• Launch and market Savour, by developing a minimum viable product (MVP), a go-to-market strategy, a value proposition and a business model.
• Measure and optimize Savour, by defining and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), user satisfaction metrics and product goals and objectives.

Images 

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