TEAM: MIB 1-9

ZERO WASTE GROCERY STORE

Executive summary

How might we achieve zero waste in packaging within the retail sector while balancing product quality, cost-effectiveness, customer satisfaction, and promoting sustainability by using eco-friendly practices? 

The solution we intend to present is to eliminate single-use packaging by adopting reusable containers and compostable packaging for certain products, optimizing supply chains, educating customers, and enforcing responsible waste management to achieve zero waste in retail. We are creating an app for customers to order goods and learn about our eco-friendly products. It also educates the customers about the importance of going green, which adds value to our proposed solution. Customers can subscribe to multiple reusable containers for easy delivery and return. We also implement a one-time fee container ticket system for in-store purchases and introduce a collection card system to incentivize customer loyalty. This promotion will attract more customers and encourage repeat purchases. Recent research shows that bulk zero-waste products are a significant source of profit for stores.

Eliminating traditional packaging reduces costs, resulting in lower prices or more profits. We will also host local workshops to build a community that helps to foster customer loyalty. Our aim is not only to provide Zero-waste grocery but to offer a unique and personalized shopping experience through our app, which allows customers to schedule deliveries and track their food inventory and shelf life. The execution strategy we devised is finding local businesses to collaborate with, finding funding to create our products, making the app to help shoppers and setting up delivery subscriptions, marketing our brand, opening the store, hosting workshops, and expanding. Our Competitors are not only the other Zero Waste shops but also the traditional retailers who use plastics. So, the advancements mentioned above in the existing business will help us stand out and be user-friendly for the consumers using our stores. 

Potential Risks and Challenges - Customer management via apps risks leaking information related to customer privacy by Hackers—breakage of containers. Inappropriate handling of containers leads to food wastage by spilling, etc. Mitigation Strategies - Require the user to enter a strong password and add a mobile security login when launching the application. Create handle-with-care posters for the containers and instructions to transfer food.