Bin Ends

Product Experience

‍Problem Space 

Problem Statement  

How might we help consumers purchase wine easier?

Problem Background  

Choosing a bottle of wine is difficult. Even as beginners it feels as if there is a vast amount of knowledge that is necessary such as learning a whole dictionary of terminologies and varieties. Once you do your due diligence and consider yourself intermediate you begin to discover there is a whole new world that lies beneath the original issue you faced. In a way, learning wine is like getting a doctorate on its own. No wonder there are dedicated professionals such as Sommeliers and Master Sommeliers. 

At the same time, we as people love consuming wine. It’s older than the bible. We still need to make purchasing decisions when invited over for a lovely dinner or simply you’re exploring something new. What ends up happening is you’re probably persuaded by a friend's recommendation, the label, or even a rating. 

To no surprise when asking fellow wine consumers about what influences their purchasing decisions there was no one answer. 44% of those surveyed stated they use multiple reasons for making a purchasing decision. When clarifying what types of resources were used during this process 45% of consumers stated they make decisions based on their own wine knowledge or recommendations from friends. The single most important revelation was that when asked if discounts have any influence on purchasing decisions 67.9% of respondents said yes.

The problem here is that there is no effective way that Wine shops and the LCBO market their wines for discount. Most private shops have a minimal online presence and the LCBO typically will only showcase their bin ends in store only. Even then most people do not know they do this. Essentially, the task of ridding its overstock is inefficient and consumers are unaware of the deals they’re missing. 

Research Insights

User Pain Points

In my preliminary research I was able to identify that ultimately the biggest pain point for all users is the abundance of information online. Although I had an initial hypothesis related to time and trust of reviews. Upon reflection and responses it became evident that time and trust were not of much concern.  

Supporting Data

This graph demonstrates that no single option has major influences in decision making process. Most people will take all if not 3 or more 

This figure demonstrates the influence of discounts on purchasing decisions. 

Feedback

Our preliminary user research to validate this problem with wine consumers within the GTA area found that users all have a unique approach to how they purchase their wine. However, given that 67.9% of the sample stated that discounts would have an influence on their purchasing decision. It is safe to assume that an app such as Bin Ends would be a nice addition to their resources and could possibly influence future decisions. 

Landing on the Solution

Based on our target users’ pain points, it is safe to assume that an app such as Bin Ends would not only be useful to consumers looking for a value pick. But also a valuable source for business owners looking to rid of their inventory in order to showcase new product. 

User Flows/Mockups

Future Steps

From speaking with our preliminary research participants I was able to identify that my initial thoughts of pessimism towards online reviews was false. I was also incorrect about the amount of time people spend choosing a wine. However, during this interview is when I realised what people actually wanted was a way for a wine app to make searching for previous wine easier and for a way to search discounted items that were close by. 

Additional issues that need to be discussed are that for this app to be a success, adoption from business owners and LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) is key to our success in order to differentiate from our competitors. 

Images 

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