Where it all started

Theme: Improving municipal waste management through citizen action

From our initial exploration of the theme, we derived the following research question:
How can we educate and engage French households into efficient waste management activities through the use of data & tech?

Week 2 saw a change in strategy and target audience, which resulted in a new, final research question:
How can we educate and engage French businesses into efficient waste management activities through the use of data & tech?

The links to our personal research, done in preparation for the group project, can be found below:

Laëtitia Lancellotta Divya Chauhan Ibukun Adebayo
Daniel Galdo S. Cedric Hage


Note: Our assigned theme centers around citizen action. While addressing the needs of businesses may not seem relevant at first glance, our team reflected on the role of businesses within communities. We chose to apply a concept named Corporate Citizenship, which is defined as "a recognition that a business, corporation or business-like organisation, has social, cultural and environmental responsibilities to the community in which it seeks a licence to operate, as well as economic and financial ones to its shareholders or immediate stakeholders.” (Investopedia)



From one idea to another: Project evolution

The goal of our project was to improve municipal waste management through citizen action, and we initially decided to focus on households and individuals. The main pain point we identified was the lack of knowledge on how to recycle and dispose of waste effectively. After a brainstorming session that was informed by individual research, we came up with two project ideas.

It became clear, upon comparing both projects’ concepts, that “Project 2” had a higher level of concept maturity. GarbageConnect, as we first named it, started out as a concept for an app that would connect individuals with items they no longer need, to people who need these items. Overall, this concept would provide a community platform for users to promote a circular economy.

However, we needed a niche for this product in order to set GarbageConnect apart from similar platforms on the market. The name also needed to change, as we wanted to lay emphasis on waste as a resource.

We recognised the need for corporate citizenship in the waste management (and sustainability) sphere, and so narrowing our target to focus on businesses meant we would occupy a space that wasn’t saturated. Thus, reSupplyz was born.

Enterprises of all sizes dispose of all manner of items, from paper and empty coffee pods that can be recycled to office furniture and coffee machines that still have several years of use left in them. Large and medium sized businesses are also likely to have excess office supplies and stationery that never end up being used. On the other hand, there are businesses, usually small ones, that are likely to benefit from the reduced costs that come from obtaining second-hand items. reSupplyz connects businesses by giving them an avenue to donate, receive, sell, or purchase items as the need arises.


By changing the target so close to the user tests, we had to run with much of the same groundwork we had already laid with GarbageConnect. This meant that we were unable to change the medium of the project to better suit the niche. Nevertheless, both rounds of user tests and interviews left us with valuable feedback. As a result of the interviews, we added a map feature to the app, which will make it possible for users to better locate the items. We also gained a new perspective that led us to consider anonymizing users. A user echoed our earlier suspicion that a website would be a more suitable medium for our target audience, but given the time constraints, we could not create new mock-ups. These are only a few of the suggested improvements that, upon further development, will eventually come to fruition.


User Tests
Projects




Origin and inspiration from the market

Our initial exploration of the industry highlighted a large number of well-established platforms addressing needs for recycling and upcycling among individuals and households – TooGoodToGo, Le Bon Coin, Geev, Vinted, etc – and that target niche products such as food waste, unused objects, clothing. Ultimately, our team decided to walk away from a service geared towards individuals due to market saturation, and turn our attention to businesses. reSupplyz was born out of our observation of the large amount of supplies, electronics, equipment, office furniture and reusable organic waste, being discarded improperly, when they could be reused by other businesses. Despite targeting different audiences, platforms such as Geev, Le Bon Coin, TooGoodToGo and Vinted were instrumental in the creation of reSupplyz due to the fact that they share a similar business model:

Commission on sales
Similarly to reSupplyz, Le Bon Coin, Vinted and TooGoodToGo take a commission on sales from the side of the seller, ranging from 4% to 6%.

Premium subscription revenue
Geev offers a premium account option featuring exclusive access to listings as well as no more displaying of ads – a feature that reSupplyz is planning on offering in the future.

A connector between people
Every one of these platforms shares one defining feature: They act as connectors between people, putting those who need items in touch with those looking to discard them. reSupplyz follows the same concept, adapted for businesses.











Our mission

reSupplyz puts technology at the service of companies looking to give a second life to equipment and supplies they no longer need.







A look at our audience

reSupplyz's main users are businesses and users of cowork spaces. Although these businesses are not necessarily in tune with any sustainability goals, they are looking for ways to save funds and optimise the supply of equipment. On one end, there are small businesses who are just starting out, and so would benefit from buying supplies at a reduced cost or no cost at all. On the other end, there are businesses that have an excess of items that they can stand to sell or even donate for a good cause. Both kinds of users have stakeholders that are office managers or business owners, who can make the decisions concerning disposing of or acquiring business supplies and equipment.



  • Name of Business: Bubbly Co.
  • Business Type: Graphic Design and Printing shop.
  • Location: Paris, France
  • Full-time Employee Count: Nine
  • Last Year’s Revenue: 325,000 euros
  • Name of Stakeholder: Frida Martin
  • Position: Office & Administration Manager
  • Struggles and Challenges: As Bubbly Co. is a rapidly growing business, equipment need to be upgraded from time to time, to keep up with the rise in demand and improve the service quality. This has resulted in a collection of printers and cutting machines that are not capable of delivering Bubbly’s improved print quality but are still too good to simply throw away. Bubbly Co’s latest investment in equipment left a significant hole in business funds, and though the future of Bubbly looks positive, it would be nice if they could still make money off the discarded items.
  • Business Goals: To expand from paper printing to other media like billboards, digital, t-shirts, and even mugs. Bubbly would like to be in a position to be active in community volunteering, and also expand to online orders and deliveries.





The technology behind the magic

reSupplyz leverages two main technologies:

APIs
The Google Map API is integrated within reSupplyz to show buyers the location of the seller. The API fetches and embeds the map directly on the app, and allows reSupplyz to add relevant content and customize the look and feel so that it fits our chosen branding. The Google Map API simplifies programming on our end and ensures we have up-to-date information.

Database
A database refers to a set of related data and the way it is organized. Our database provides reSupplyz with an option for permanent data storage. reSupplyz’s database is linked to the app and relies on contributions from users who list items for sale and associated data. Once an item is sold and the seller deletes the listing, our database is updated in real-time. The backend of the database is managed using SQL.




Building blocks: Wireframes and mockups

Wireframes



Prototype





What the future holds

The adventure is not stopping here for reSupplyz! New developments are underway, including the option to subscribe to a premium account. In addition, we are adding new features and services to improve the customer experience. See the highlights below:

Platform
As mentioned above, our project pivoted halfway through the timeline, going from a service geared towards individuals to one targeting businesses. Due to the very short time allocated to prototype and design our service, we stuck with the platform we had originally chosen when we were planning on designing an app for individuals. While an app is still valuable in a business context, we also understand that some businesses may prefer a website platform. To answer this need, reSupplyz will launch a website to give more freedom to its users.

Security
In its current format, reSupplyz handles payment from buyers via its platform. Enhancements will include guaranteeing secure transactions as well as providing an option to return defective or unsatisfactory products.

Premium account
A premium account will be launched in the future, giving businesses access to exclusive listings for a given amount of time, before the rest of the buyers are able to view them.

Features
A new feature will be developed to give sellers who list an item a general quote for prices. For instance, given the model, condition and original purchase date of a coffee machine, an algorithm would give the seller a range of prices considered adequate for the product. The goal is to ensure the item is priced fairly for buyers, and to help the seller sell their item as fast as possible.

Similarly to Le Bon Coin, reSupplyz will also offer delivery at the charge of the buyer. We know that transportation is a pain point for companies that often don’t have the time or means to pick up items from the seller, particularly if the latter is located far away, or if the item is large (e.g. a desk). By partnering with companies such as Mondial Relay or Purolator, we could remove this barrier and encourage users to engage with our service.





This is Where You Come in!

reSupplyz is in need of Web Developers to facilitate the smooth transition to a fully functioning website that will serve as our main platform. In addition, we are searching for a Software Developer that is passionate about the cause and can transform our prototypes into reality.

Contact Us