7A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1


Step 1: Hypothesis
People who need groceries delivered lack a source of efficient services, for existing delivery companies do not deliver fast enough due to a high demand and inconvenient location.

Step 2:
Who: People who get their groceries delivered
What: Most grocery delivery services can be very inefficient and slow when delivering to their customers.
Why: Grocery stores, such as Publix, Walmart, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s, only deliver to specific areas and zones. These services also sometimes take a long time to deliver the goods to the customer because of higher demand not matching with the amount of delivery people they have.

Step 3: Interviews
Interview 1: (College student, 20-year-old)
·      Do you get groceries delivered? If so, how often?
o   Yes, I get my groceries delivered once a week. I do not have any transportation in Gainesville other than on foot.
·      If you get groceries delivered, what company do you use and what flaws do you see in it?
o   I use the app Instacart, which delivers food to my dorm. I have never had an issue with the delivery at a time that it was not scheduled for.
·      Are there other grocery delivery services you have used?
o   No, I do not know of any other services than Instacart.
·      What is a possible reason why you think grocery delivery companies are inefficient at times?
o   Service may be slow due to a high demand in a period of time or there may not be enough workers working.

Interview 2: (19-year-old College student)
·      How often do you get groceries delivered? If so, how often?
o   I get my groceries delivered every once in a while. I only get them delivered when I do not have time to go to the store or if I need a whole bunch of things because I only have a scooter.
·      If you get groceries delivered, what company do you use and what flaws do you see in it?
o   I usually use Publix delivery, but they may take a long time to deliver. They do not give an exact delivery expectancy time. For example, they will say it will take 3-5 hours and you have to be there when they deliver.
·      Are there other grocery delivery services you have used?
o   No. I have wanted to use the Whole Foods delivery, but they do not offer it in Gainesville.
·      What is a possible reason why you think grocery delivery companies are inefficient?
o    Publix sometimes lags because depending on the demand, they may not have enough delivery people and looking for specific groceries can take time.

Interview 3: (20-year-old college student; commuter)
·      How often do you get groceries delivered?
o   Never. I do not need to get groceries delivered because I commute and can take my car to the grocery store.
·      If you get groceries delivered, what company do you use and what flaws do you see in it?
o   Even though I do not get actual groceries delivered, it much more expensive than going there yourself. A tip and booking fee is an additional cost.
·      Are there other grocery delivery services you have used?
o   No, I only use Uber Eats occasionally.
·      What is a possible reason why you think grocery delivery companies are inefficient?
o   Grocery delivery is inefficient because most companies only deliver in particular zones that correlate with the maximum mile radius from them.

Interview 4: (54-year-old woman)
·      How often do you get groceries delivered?
o   Never. I always physically go to the grocery store.
·      If you get groceries delivered, what company do you use and what flaws do you see in it?
o   I do not get my groceries delivered, but grocery delivery seems like something one would only do if they really needed to. Publix is right across the street from me and it is easy just to hop in my car and go there. There would not be a reason for me to get them delivered when it is easily accessed.
·      Are there other grocery delivery services you have used?
o   I have only done food delivery for dinner.
·      What is a possible reason why you think grocery delivery companies are inefficient?
o   They take a long time and I would not like to wait around for them when I can get what I need myself.

Interview 5: (35-year-old man, lives in New York City)
·      How often do you get groceries delivered?
o   Occasionally. I get them delivered sometimes when I do not have the time to go up and down the aisles of the store. They deliver it right to my apartment. If I have a lot of groceries I have to get, I prefer them to be delivered than have to carry them to my apartment.
·      If you get groceries delivered, what company do you use and what flaws do you see in it?
o   I use my local grocery store, who delivers. I also use Trader Joe’s delivery service. Mostly, I have always been satisfied with both of these companies for delivering.
·      Are there other grocery delivery services you have used?
o   No.
·      What is a possible reason why you think grocery delivery companies are inefficient?
o   Sometimes grocery delivery service can be expensive because my local grocery store charges a $25 booking fee if my groceries are delivered. There has also been times where I had to go back to the store myself because they forgot one thing.

Step 4: Summarization
            I have found that the opportunity of improving grocery delivery efficiency is crucial. However, the only people who have this need are those who get their groceries delivered. I have noticed, from the interviews, that it is mostly people who are young and in college who need their groceries delivered. In addition, people who need groceries delivered usually do not have an efficient form of transportation. For example, one college student does not have any form of transportation and the other only has a scooter. I knew about Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Publix delivery services, but did not know about the app Instacart. While Instacart is efficient, the others fail to efficiently meet customer needs because they either only deliver in certain areas or they do not have enough delivery people.

Comments

  1. Nick HeikkinenSeptember 19, 2019 at 5:53 PM

    Nicolette,

    I think your problem is reasonable. Many grocery stores are inefficient when delivering to customers. I rarely get my groceries delivered so the only skepticism I have would be that it may not have enough demand. I do feel like it is something that is continuing to grow so that may pose an opportunity

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haonan WangSeptember 21, 2019 at 10:47 PM

    Nicolette,
    I agree with you about the problem of delivering grocery. I think the main reason behind this is the people who have this need is a relatively small proportion of the population. I agree that college students without a car or bike can have this problem. However, I believe that disabled people also need delivering service. I think these major grocery stores are not focusing on this problem is because their primary consumers are those who will shop by themself.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Minseok MunSeptember 23, 2019 at 11:05 AM

    Nicolette,
    I feel that your problem is realistic. Delivery in United States is extremely late often because of the massive size of the land, and the lack of population density in most of the land that United States citizens live on. I also felt that your interviews were interesting because we often don't think about how limited a scooter is as an efficient form of transportation. Since a scooter rider cannot transport large amounts of heavy grocery products, it is definitely limited in that way. I also didn't know about the app: Instacart, but it definitely sounds interesting.

    ReplyDelete

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