Challenge
OrganicNet is a social marketplace for organic food that directly connects consumers with local organic food producers. We received a grant from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme within FInish accelerator to build our intercompany startup. OrganicNet received E-COMMERCE AWARD 2016 for the best local and regional e-commerce solution, the FInish Final Award as one of the best projects within the accelerator, and Aurea Innovation Award for driving innovation and making people’s lives better. Brief Behind our need to create OrganicNet lies the simple truth: healthy, natural food should be accessible to everyone. Our solution was to create an online social marketplace to directly connect organic food producers with consumers, making the organic food and products affordable and accessible, and to help people to make informed and responsible choices when it comes to food they are growing, eating and buying. With OrganicNet, producers receive greater market visibility and build their reputation and brand using effective marketing tools. Consumers can trust in the food quality and get to know the family businesses that are producing the food they are buying. The platform offers a better deal for the environment, with fewer food miles and less food waste, supporting the Organic Food Movement and promoting the values of organic agriculture. The food is not a mere convenience. OrganicNet is awakening the sentiment of food in which quality and health benefits we can trust. Responsive design Our challenge was to keep a smooth and simple interface when browsing the market. With responsive design and easy-to-use interface, filtering the market is easy and fast and serves users across all devices without compromising on the user experience and suffering from the slow loading times.
Solution
Branding LOGOTYPE OrganicNet logotype is designed to represent a circle-shaped symbol of nature and present the ongoing energy found everywhere. Pictographic elements that the logotype consist of represent the core elements of Organic and Pure: nature, sun, earth. The logotype symbolizes the all-embracing nature of the universe, the same as OrganicNet is a universal place for everything organic related. COLORS OrganicNet colors give a personality to OrganicNet brand and portray the relationship between nature, sun and earth. We used green, yellow and brown to represent the nature and to be the foundation of branding. To add vibrancy to our communications and bring a fresh energy we introduced other colors that complement the look and feel of the brand. ICONS To add to the brand's visual language, our approach was to create simple and symbolic illustrations. We designed custom icons to create a more engaging and intuitive user interface. The simple form of communication represented in custom icons grabs attention and leaves a lasting impression, which was our goal. Discovery & prototyping We analysed all the requirements and needs of our target audience and came up with initial wireframe sketches and user stories. Our focus was on creating an engaging user experience that covers both the social and knowledge sharing aspect. The workshops and discussions with our target audience resulted in changing several functionalities and introducing new features to improve the platform. The platform is designed and developed entirely by the OrganicNet team. USER TESTING The important part of creating OrganicNet platform was to cater to the needs and wishes of the users. We first released a private beta version of the platform for producers to collect valuable feedback. Based on their needs, preferences, and recommendations, we developed and implemented new features and changed certain functionalities. Marketplace Our goal was to create a marketplace for consumers who want to find organic food with a few simple clicks. The platform recommends the products by geolocation, connecting consumers with nearby producers. Consumers browse and search for food and products using different filters: by food type and category, location, price, producer’s ratings, delivery points, keywords, and food production and provenance - whether the food is certified organic, grass-fed, free-range or locally-grown. Besides the list of products, consumers can head over to a map to see the location of the producers’ farms and households. User profiles OrganicNet is a comprehensive solution for direct communication, giving users a full control over their activities. The user profiles are created to meet the needs of an online shopper and seller. We have created three different types of profiles: producers/sellers, consumers/buyers and certification bodies and companies. PRODUCERS The producers’ profiles are their online shops, a direct marketing, communication and business channel to help them to grow their business. The profiles include information about their identity, location, contact information, organic certificate and comments and ratings left by the consumers. By personalizing their profiles, and sharing their mission and the story of their farm, producers give voice to their brand and recognition. CONSUMERS The consumers’ profiles are representing their online shopping persona. Information about their identity, rating, recommendations and reviews from the producers, and contact information are part of their online profile. Consumers can browse and search the database of products and producers at any time, but need to create a profile to place an order or contact the producers. CERTIFICATION BODIES The certification bodies’ profiles are created to make important information readily available for producers, fostering interaction between interested users. These profiles include basic information about the company and contact information, or more detailed information and opportunity to add company documents for premium members. Rating and recommendations from producers are visible on their profiles and help them to build reputation. My Stand All producer’s products are visible at My Stand. With only a few simple clicks, the producers can add products, uploading photographs, describing products, setting prices, choosing delivery options or inserting the pickup point locations. Producers who own a certificate can upload it and receive a special badge that shows that the products are certified organic. With rich content and photography of the products, they keep consumers informed about organic food. Ordering process After a buyer submits an order, the producer receives a notification about a new order and can accept the order, decline the order (if the ordered products are currently unavailable) or suggest a change (different delivery time). The buyer will receive the response, and also either accept, decline or suggest another change to the order, similarly to the negotiation process on the real market. Both producers and buyers receive SMS notifications for their activities related to ordering process. Rating & Reviews OrganicNet is based on trust and reputation. Both the buyer and the seller rate and review the overall experience and cooperation. To promote a fair and supportive rating system, OrganicNet only accepts the ratings from users who have successfully completed the ordering process. Reviews and comments are hidden if only one user leaves a review or until the rating period expires, once the reviews become public. Monthly report Producers who have had at least one accepted order in the previous month will receive a sales report via email for the previous month. The report includes the list of sold products, their quantities and the total sales value of the accepted orders in the previous month. Knowledge Sharing OrganicNet provides a knowledge base for consumers, organic producers, and anyone interested in the organic agriculture. With original content and relevant information, the platform contributes to the promotion of the organic agriculture, raising awareness about ecology, environment, sustainability, and a healthy nutrition. MAGAZINE Magazine offers relevant, up-to-date information and content on nutrition, health and healthy lifestyle. Sharing significant nutritional information and advice builds a stronger community of health enthusiasts. KNOWLEDGE BASE Knowledge base offers in-depth articles and guides on all topics of interest for producers and those who want to start an organic food business. Readers get valuable information and data on organic agriculture and certification, business opportunities and partnership. EVENTS Events section is where users find upcoming events, educational workshops, and conferences related to organic agriculture and a healthy lifestyle. DISCUSSION Discussions section enables consumers to seek answers directly from producers, decreasing the knowledge gap, and satisfying the need for information transparency. The community of users direct, create and edit discussions. Each user can start a relevant discussion related to the organic agriculture, farming, nutrition, legislation, certification, and other similar topics. Marketing To promote the platform, our marketing team created strategies to address both offline and online promotional opportunities. A pre-launch promotional campaign for beta users included traditional offline and print advertising. The direct marketing approach showed to be valuable for acquiring early adopters and we were visiting producers’ farms, photographing products, and helping them to set up their accounts. The promotional campaigns when the platform launched included target and market research, designing promotional materials, organizing promotional events, and PPC and social media advertising. Multilingual platform OrganicNet platform is multilingual platform that is built for the global market. We have designed the platform to be flexible, easily scalable and adaptable for different markets. To launch a fully functional and operating platform in other markets around the world, the platform only needs to be translated to a prefered language. OrganicNet is currently available in Serbian, English, Romanian and Brazilian Portuguese. Copywriting & SEO The important part of our copywriting craft is defining the goals and objectives of the project and creating a quality and unique content that is both user- and SEO-friendly. Our team of copywriters and content marketers created the content and microcopy that deliver a consistent tone of voice and a seamless representation of the business, sitting with OrganicNet brand and values.
Results
Final product For environmentally conscious consumers who want organic food from farmers they can trust, the platform removes the obscurity and the middlemen from ethical shopping and puts the power back in the hands of the producers. OrganicNet enters the market as a unique platform supporting diverse, local, family farms and small business and creating new opportunities for the promotion of organic agriculture and development of local economy. As a comprehensive solution, the platform contributes to an overall healthier nutrition of the worldwide population.
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