Product: Alexander Overduin, Asiri Rathugamage
Design: Matthew Rigdon
Description: StillFresh App helps grocery stores eliminate food waste by selling perishable items approaching expiration to consumers at a discount.
Executive Summary: In the world today, there is excessive waste of perishable foods by stores when they fail to sell them before their expiration date. It is standard practice for USC Hospitality’s restaurants and cafes to throw out sandwiches, salads and other perishables items after a fixed period of time - no one will buy food that is past its expiration date. Major neighborhood markets like Fresh & Easy discount perishable items as they reach expiration to incentivize consumers. However, these discounted items are not properly marketed in a timely matter and many perishable items still go to waste.
The solution to this food waste and loss of revenue is an online system that allows businesses to advertise their perishable items directly to consumers just before the product goes bad. Businesses can list these perishable items at a discount, and consumers can search the online system via a mobile app for products they need on a given day and purchase them at a significant markdown.
The net result is businesses reduce their profit loss by selling perishable items before or on the expiration date, and consumers save money when shopping for food. Moreover, reducing global food waste helps humanity and the environment.
With regards to monetization, businesses will be charged a monthly subscription fee to display their perishable foods on the online system. However, the app will be freely distributed to the consumers.
