Design a New Product for Grocery Store

The Future of Shopping

Week 1 Group Assignment

For too many people, shopping in a store is simply a chore to be endured: If they can find ways to avoid it, they will. But what if visiting a store were exciting, entertaining, and emotionally engaging? Customers want everything. They want the advantages of digital access, such as broad selection, rich product information, and customer reviews and tips. They want the advantages of physical stores, such as personal customer service, the ability to touch products, and shopping as an event and an experience (Rigby, 2011). Walmart is more than just the world's largest retailer. It is an economic force, a cultural phenomenon and a lightning rod for controversy. As a group, we decided to address how we could provide a service that would enhance the shopping experience. We came up with an app that would make shopping more efficient and enhance the overall shopping experience. We decided to use Walmart not only as a grocery store but as a shopping center, after a little research will realized an app existed that provided customers some of these features but we had a vision on a better product. A prototype of our app would be based on price comparisons with like items, customer reviews, and a GPS locator in order to guide the customer around the huge shopping centers (please see attached power point). With technology today, the future of shopping will be in the palm of your hand with your smartphone.

The competition in the grocery and supermarket industry is becoming increasingly competitive. Consumers are finding dozens of wholesale stores, specialty markets, and one-stop shops on every corner. Walmart has always been a market leader, but as the market is constantly being flooded with emerging stores, they have to continually fight to keep a large share of their customer base. An understanding of what drives a customer to shop where they do is imperative to maintain a competitive edge. In 2013 a study by Market Force explored what customers like and don’t like about their grocery store, and if that impacted their shopping choice. Initially as consumers were surveyed location, price, and selection were what customers cared the most about. (Information, 2013) As of 2013 not one store was really emerging as having it all. While one may have the lowest prices, it doesn’t necessarily have the most convenient location, etc. A more recent study released just this week suggests that mobile apps are becoming increasingly important to consumers. This study states, “Thirty-nine percent of grocers have used a grocery app, primarily to obtain coupons and scan bar codes….23% are using the app provided by their primary grocer.” (Information, Market Force Information, 2015)

Wal-Mart is not number one in the industry, but it is a serious competitor in price and selection. Creating a more functional and convenient mobile app for Wal-Mart could help win them more of the market share. Wal-Mart’s existing app already compares prices with other competitors, but what if it could find you the best deal in their store? What if it could map out the most efficient route and location for your personalized shopping list? Our new app will have features like this that will transform Wal-Mart into a leader in convenience as well.

Creating an app that is convenient and user-friendly when customers get in the store is important, but could it also help the customer better deal with their increasing demands at work and home? We’ve designed a shopping list feature that can be shared by multiple users on separate devices. How much easier would it be for customers if they knew they needed to pick up diapers before they got home and had to go back out again? With this new feature, any member of the household can add an item to the shopping list. The customer will be notified of the new item before they leave work, and will have more time to do the things they want to do.

Customers spend a significant amount of time and money shopping for food. Every person has to do it at some point in his or her schedule. Our app’s features are designed to help the customer receive the lowest price for the product they are searching for. So many people spend hours every week couponing in an effort to save money. Our app does the couponing for you to save you time and insure you get the best deal out there. The app’s GPS locator feature also saves you time in the store. The app design will insure that the customer takes the most efficient route through the store to get all of the items on their list.

While Wal-Mart does have a lot of good attributes as a grocer, it also has a reputation for poor customer service and long lines (Hess and McIntyre 2014). The majority of the people