Farmicon - Local Food Software
Project Description
Small scale farmers needed a simple solution to move their sales (from local food markets) online - the demand for their products was huge, but the complexity of owning a web shop and managing the technical and legal site of it was too much for them.
So we created a simple online platform that farmers can use to quickly publish their offers and collect preorders. They could publish offers on weekly basis, and dedicate one day for packing and delivery, either directly to the buyers, or to some pre-arranged common delivery location.
The difference from a classic web-shops is the community component - all activities were organised within groups. A farmer would open a group and invite their customers to join and follow their offers. It could also be the other way around - groups of consumers would open a group and then invite farmers of their choice.
That model of selling/buying local food turned out to be a success, a great way to nurture long-time relationships between farmers and their customers. Unfortunately, the product didn’t fit into existing legal landscape and it couldn’t scale to a successful business, so we took care of our existing customers and moved on. But we all know that 9 out of 10 startups fail, so, hoping for a better luck next time :o)
Research - User Personas
At the time some ways of organizing local farmers and customers were already forming, but the way they
communicated
and
organized the groups, offers and orders (usually through google groups and Google Forms) was cumbersome and
prone to
errors. After a careful research I identified 6 personas who would benefit from such a product.
Product Page
The product targets small scale farmers and groups of customers, and introduces a specific flow that makes the
whole
process of selling and buying local food online managable and frictionless. Explaining the value proposition was
one of
the greatest challenges because the product was quite unique.
Overview of Current Offers
Farmers and their loyal customers would organize into a group - farmers would publish their offers on regular
basis
(usually weekly), define in advance common delivery locations or direct delivery timespan. Offers would have a
deadline by which customers can place orders, and then it's time for farmers to pick, pack and deliver the
orders.
Order Form
Unlike classic web-shop, Farmicon's first concern wasn't how to help farmers sell more, but how to sell
efficiently.
Small farmers usually have limited quantities of produce, which they can either pick and pack for next delivery,
or
leave on the field to grow, and it's hard for them to know in advance what they will have ready for harvest, so
stock
management is redundant.
Instead, we designed tools that gave them the flexibility to adjust delivered
quantities and
re-calculate prices, or block certain product on the go.
Farmer's Profile Page
Very important part of the farmer-consumer long term relationship is farmer's story - customers need to feel
they can
trust them, they need to see where they grow their food, if they have required certificates etc. so Farmer
Profile page
was important part of the app.
Final Product
This simple fusion of online and offline sales process turned out to be a success. It was efficient but still
felt real
and personal, just as buying food should be.
Unfortunately, the food sector is very restrictive and selling food online turned out to be much more regulated
compared to classic farmers
markets, which we tried to mimic. The rigid rules didn't allow for the flexibility and ease of use, which was
Farmicon's strongest
value proposition.