Discovery
Background
Why is ethical consumerism important?
Shopping ethically supports consumers values in the short term, and it also paves the way for brands to shift to more ethical practices down the road! The more demand we create for ethically made products from great companies, the more supply there will be.
Stakeholders
Identifying key stakeholders in the early stages of the project as it allows us to understand their perspectives and create a solution that aligns with their needs.
0.1 Consumers | The users
0.2 Companies | The funders
It is essential that Ethishop collaborates with brands to provide incentives such as promo codes to our users. In order to attain these partnerships, the solution must prove that the market is viable and our product will be beneficial to their business.
Research
To better understand the need and varying perspectives around ethical consumerism, I conducted user and industry research through surveys and interviews. Below are some highlights from the research.
0.1 Survey | Identifying the markets needs
How would you react if you found out that a store you shop at is unethical?
Purpose
To identify if providing knowledge on brands' ethical behaviour can actually influence people's buying habits.
Outcome
88% of responses indicated that they would limit or stop purchasing from the store. This suggests that our solution will have a valuable impact.
How important is ethical shopping to you?
Purpose
To identify which age group cares most about ethical shopping.
Outcome
The data depicts a very "loose" relationship suggesting that age does not influence one's interest in sustainable shopping.
How often do you browse/shop online?
Purpose
To identify how often each age group shops online.
Outcome
Age groups 20 to 59 shop online the most often. Therefore, a solution for online shopping will be most fitting for this target audience.
What are the barriers to shopping ethically?
Purpose
To identify pain points that prevent people from shopping ethically.
Outcome
55% shared that it is difficult to learn about brand ethics. The goal of the solution is to make this information accessible to consumers.
0.2 Interviews | Ask open-ended questions to capture quantitative data
Defining key features
I was aware that I myself, could not adequately represent Ethishop's potential users. For this reason, I held a session to brainstorm potential features that could help consumers shop ethically. Through this process I was able to lead insightful discussions to gain a stronger understanding about which features people found most valuable. Next, I shortlisted the features and sorted them into three categories; Onboarding, Home, Profile.