Business Idea: Choice Supermarket
The idea is for a supermarket that offers what Woolies and Coles do not. It is aimed at shoppers who want choice, not necessarily the lowest price. It is all about what is best for the customer, and work out profits later. And ups the stakes in responsibility.
- The Big Two regularly ditch brands that were otherwise doing alright. Those brands still exist and would love a new home
- Ethical shoppers prefer full transparency and information
- A minimum of two choices per product type, with preference to brands not stocked by Woolies and Coles
- Full ranges – for example every Heinz sauce, not just some
- All fresh food provided by on-premises, 3rd-party butchers, bakers, greengrocers – with two of each for competition? Or not, undecided on this one.
- If fruit and veg are in-store, have a wider range that usual, more heirloom / farmers market products
- Possibly a farmers market on Sundays. A few vendors in store, or many in the car park. Leftover produce could be sold in store in the following week
- No automated checkouts. Full service
- No insurance or gift cards or magazines – nothing that doesn’t belong in a supermarket
- By restricting product types, more space for groceries
- A help desk! Ask questions about products combined with product testing, ask if something could become a stock item
- Clearly marked zones for product type
- Comparable products always alongside each other, not above and below competing for eye height
- Round up for charity option at checkout – signage says you request it, staff won’t ask otherwise
- Assistance buzzers at several locations on each aisle, primarily to help elderly people
- Nothing ever on special??? Just an idea, probably won’t work
Think of it as a curated supermarket. When you look at the 3 brands of tea on the shelf you can clearly see the country they are from without looking at the packaging, and whether it is ethically sourced. And the shelf signage can display any other types of interesting information:
- minimal packaging
- stocked by Coles 2008-2013
- 88 staff in Victoria
- only 4 ingredients
- no artificial colours
- no preservatives
- imported from Italy as there is no local alternative
- rated top pick by Choice magazine
- typical use-by date range
- fresh food – how long stored for, and how
And so on, not unlike what you see in some groovy bookshops.
If there was a loyalty program, it can be used to crowd-source product ideas. And if a product is not selling well, ask the people who buy it, and ask the people who buy the alternative, and find out what could be done to keep it as a stock item.