Americans have to throw away too much of the groceries they purchase. Society has an unmet need, in that a way to waste less food is needed.
Description of Belief:
Your average American throws away about 40% of the groceries they purchase. This is a huge waste of food and money. The average American who purchases groceries has this unmet need. This need has existed for a long time. Currently, people are attempting to estimate how much they eat in order to meet this need. However, if people intend on eating a large variety of foods, it is difficult to avoid food expiring and being wasted. I am 90% sure this opportunity exists in American society.
ITERATION #1
Prototypical Customer: Undergraduate College Student
Interview:
Q1: If you had to guess, what percentage of your groceries do you throw away?
A1: About 30% of my groceries.
Q2: Would you say that you need a better way of managing groceries?
A2: Yes, definitely.
Q3: How often do you feel as if you need a better way of managing groceries?
A3: Whenever I go shopping and am deciding how much food to buy, or when I clean my fridge and see how much that I throw away.
Q4: How long have you felt a need for a better way of managing groceries?
A4: I have felt the need for a better system for about a year.
Q5: When did you first become aware that you need a better way of managing groceries?
A5: I first felt the need for a better system when I went to college.
Q6: How are you currently addressing the problem of throwing away too much food?
A6: I'm addressing the problem by planning out my meals, eating less variety of foods, and eating out more.
Q7: How satisfied are you with this solution?
A7: I am not satisfied with this solution, because eating at restaurants gets expensive, and I'm getting sick of eating the same types of food.
ITERATION #2
Prototypical Customer: Graduate Student
Interview:
Q1: If you had to guess, what percentage of your groceries do you throw away?
A1: 20%
Q2: Would you say that you need a better way of managing groceries?
A2: No
Q3: How often do you feel as if you need a better way of managing groceries?
A3: N/A
Q4: How long have you felt a need for a better way of managing groceries?
A4: N/A
Q5: When did you first become aware that you need a better way of managing groceries?
A5: N/A
Q6: How are you currently addressing the problem of throwing away too much food?
A6: I don't overbuy food. You have to balance the cost saving benefits of ordering in bulk, versus what you're actually going to eat. I buy fewer produce, because it expires really fast.
Q7: How satisfied are you with this solution?
A7: Relatively satisfied. About a 7 out of 10.
ITERATION #3
Prototypical Customer: Parent
Interview:
Q1: If you had to guess, what percentage of your groceries do you throw away?
A1: One tenth.
Q2: Would you say that you need a better way of managing groceries?
A2: Yes.
Q3: How often do you feel as if you need a better way of managing groceries?
A3: Every time that I clean out the refrigerator and throw out all of the old vegetables or look at the pantry and see all of the expired food.
Q4: How long have you felt a need for a better way of managing groceries?
A4: Ever since I have had kids.
Q5: When did you first become aware that you need a better way of managing groceries?
A5: About 25 years ago.
Q6: How are you currently addressing the problem of throwing away too much food?
A6: Trying to educate my kids that when they open something they should eat the whole thing. Trying to teach them to eat leftovers, not just eat something new every day.
Q7: How satisfied are you with this solution?
A7: I am not satisfied, my kids don't listen.
Reflection:
I was surprised that while the graduate student threw away approximately twice as much groceries as the parent, the graduate didn't feel that they had an unmet need and the parent did. The undergraduate student, the one who threw away the most groceries, felt that they needed a better system as well. Based on the reasons given by the parent for needing the better system, food wasted by their child, and the undergraduate student's need for a better system, younger people have more of a need for managing their groceries better. Older and more independent people don't feel as if they have this same need.
Summary:
The opportunity for a new system for managing groceries is still available for younger, less experienced consumers, as well as consumers buying groceries for a family. However, the opportunity doesn't exist for more independent consumers who do not support a family. I believe that the opportunity is more accurate now that I have interviewed these three different target consumers. I believe that entrepreneurs should adapt their opportunities when provided new information in order to increase their chances of success.
