Carrefour aims to strategically design & offer a seamless omnichannel experience to its customers, with a vision to Synchronise customer experience across online & offline shopping spaces, enabling customers to make the same customizations they usually request in the offline area!
I worked closely with the product and business teams to lead the overall strategic vision of the project, considered business priorities, previous user research, and technical capabilities, providing more specific guidance and feedback to the team to develop the new concept and future iterations
Seamless customizations across online and offline space
Scalable Item Customization
THE PROBLEM
Carrefour Customers were unable to customise Fishery, butchery and Deli products they were able to perform instore
Primary and secondary customer research was conducted to better understand this problem space
THE GOAL
Synchronized customer experience with Carrefour’s online & offline shopping spaces Enable customers to make the same customizations they usually make offline, in the online space too Particularly focusing on three categories within fresh foods:
THE OBJECTIVE
We did primary research to understand; What are the key customizations that customers request offline across the 3 categories? Which ones are suitable to replicate & offer online too? What terminologies do customers use to make their orders & what PDP details are needed?
As part of the research activity, I reached out and conducted In-depth interviews with the head of merchandising, store managers, fresh food specialists and on-ground staff (butchers, fishmongers, deli staff) across the operating countries
Carrefour’s 13 E-Commerce Markets
APPROACH
METHOD
In-depth Interviews (IDIs) (a total of 16 IDIs with 26 participants completed)
DURATION
1-3 hours / each (a total of 21 hours spent in FW)
TOOL
Conducted via MS Teams, WhatsApp, & F2F in-store (UAE)
PARTICIPANTS
Head of merchandising Fresh food specialists On-the-ground staff (butchers, fishmongers, deli staff)
Scheduling & number of participants in each market depended on expertise & availability, No customer interviews were conducted due to focusing on C4’s offerings & holistic expertise with customers across C4 branches in each market
DISCOVERY
Fishery
The FISHERY section was explored in depth, including its four key categories
FISH
SHRIMP
CRAB
SQUID
We delved into each category, covering:
Common offline customization requests by local customers
Any relevant unique gastro-cultural nuances across markets
Recommended customization options to offer by Carrefour’s e-commerce
FULL CLEANING
Majority ask for full cleaning when ordering fish
A must have option for online ordering across markets
FILLET
Overall higher demand for fish fillet vs other cuts across all markets
A must have option for online ordering across markets
SALMON
Has unique customizations & sellable pieces- e.g., selling head only, bones only, de-boning steaks
Ensure to include expected unique options for salmon
VALUE FOR MONEY - UAE
C4 sells fish at 30% higher price vs local fish market, however, offers 3 advantages: Quality, Service, & Convenience
Consider communicating these benefits online to drive purchase preference
ILLUSTRATIVE CONTENT
Offline offers shopping aid tools (visual signage & staff expertise)- customers refer to it to learn, decide, & specify their order
Consider replicating this convenient aspect online through visual guides, hotline, live chat with fishmonger
CUT OPTION FIRST
Some cleaning options are applicable to certain cuts only
Consider starting the customization journey online with cutting options
KENYA - FOCUS ON CUTS
Whole fish is not commonly requested in Kenya given the challenge of self-handling fish cutting
Do not offer whole fish option online in Kenya
Overview of FISH customizations
Elaborating on the eight fish cutting types
ABDOMEN OPENING
An incision alongside the abdomen, without opening the fish flat Chosen in the majority of orders- must be done before cleaning For stuffing & oven baking Options: Open fish at abdomen Keep fish whole (no cleaning possible if this is chosen)
BUTTERFLY / OPEN BOOK / SENGARI
Opened flat from the back For oven baking & BBQ Known as SENGARI in KSA & Egypt, & as OPEN BOOK in other markets Options: Keep bones, Remove bones & pack them separately with the order
SHALLOW CUTS
Shallow incisions applied to meat from the outside Intensifies marination & flavour
Options:
Make shallow cuts or not
HEAD ONLY
PAKISTAN only- for all kinds of fish
Salmon only- all markets: Head sold separately
Options: Only head- only salmon
Whole fish & keep head attached
Whole fish & chop head off
Option: Pack head separately with the order Cut head in half or keeping it whole is chosen)
STEAK
Available from: Pre-packed steak or freshly cut from whole fish
No options for skin & bones –
Except Pakistan: options: bone-in or boneless for all fish types
Except for salmon – all markets: options: bone-in or boneless
Thickness- indicated by fingers or CM
Options: except for Kenya
Thin steaks: around 1 – 2.5 CM
Thick steaks: around 3 CM
FILLET
Highest demand across markets
SOURCE: Option of pre-prepared fillet or customized from bought whole fish
SKIN & BONES: No options, always without skin & bones
Except for Salmon: options: keep or remove
Options:
Cut into strips
Cut into cubes Keep it whole
HEAD ONLY
PAKISTAN only- for all kinds of fish
Salmon only- all markets: Head sold separately
Options: Only head- only salmon
Whole fish & keep head attached
Whole fish & chop head off
Option: Pack head separately with the order Cut head in half or keep it whole is chosen)
Similar studies were carried out on other fishery products
SQUID
CRAB
SHRIMP
DISCOVERY
Butchery
The BUTCHERY section was explored in depth, based on two key categories
CHICKEN
MEAT
Common offline customization requests by local customers
Any relevant unique gastro-cultural nuances across markets
Recommended customization options to offer by Carrefour’s e-commerce
Chicken: Broad Category Highlights
TWO TYPES OFFERED, ONE CUSTOMIZABLE & ONE NOT
Branded chicken cannot be customized by Carrefour’s butchery, while the unbranded one can be customized- both whole chicken & parts.
Offer customizations for online orders ONLY for unbranded chicken
NO CLEANING NEEDED
Across all markets, whole unbranded chicken is received clean (but with bones & skin).
No need to offer chicken cleaning for online orders across all markets.
MINCING UNFEASIBLE
Majority of markets’ municipalities require dedicated mincing machines for chicken, however very limited Carrefour stores have that.
Do not offer mincing as a customization for online orders except in Bahrain, Jordan, & Pakistan.
NO CUSTOMIZATION OFFERED
C4 Oman stores only sell branded chicken which cannot be customized at C4’s butchery. C4 KSA only sells branded fresh chicken (cannot be customized) & defrosted marinated / pane chicken.
Do not offer chicken customizations for online orders in Oman & KSA at all.
Notable different preferences of whole chicken cuts across markets- signifying different definitions of value when it comes to this category
Markets associating a higher value with larger QUANTITYrendered from 1 whole chicken Markets associating a higher value with larger SIZE/piece rendered from 1 whole chicken
LARGER QUANTITY
Markets associating a higher value with larger QUANTITY rendered from 1 whole chicken
LARGER SIZE
Markets associating a higher value with a larger SIZE/piece rendered from 1 whole chicken
Within unbranded chicken parts, chicken breast has the highest variety in customizations vs other parts
Offer cutting options for;
WHOLE CHICKEN;
Breast (from a bought whole chicken)
CHICKEN PARTS;
Boneless breast CHICKEN PARTS: Breast with skin & bone-in
FILLET
Commonly requested in all markets Offered in parts or carved out from whole chicken Base for the majority of other cuts
BUTTERFLY / THINNER FILLETS
The term “butterfly” is also unknown to the majority of customers, “thinner fillets” though on the other hand is more understandable among the regular customers
CUBES
Known as cubes / (مكعبات) in all markets Known as “shish tawooq” Created from boneless & skinless breast No size options to be offered
Except for Pakistan- options: small & large cubes Not commonly requested- Do NOT offer in Kenya
MINCE
Due to the lack of dedicated mincing machines in C4 stores
Do not offer in the majority of markets Only offered only in Bahrain & Jordan
STRIPS
A common choice in all markets Created from boneless & skinless breast Variations: (Lebanon & Jordan only)
Shawarma
Fajita
Stroganoff
Mexican
Preference across markets to recommend readymade SKUs (branded & unbranded) of chicken leg parts for customization requests to achieve time-cost efficiency for the staff
DRUMSTICK
- Skin: keep or remove
- Bones:
o Bone-in
o Boneless
o Boneless & pack bones separately with the order
- Too small to offer any cuts- offer cuts only if taken out of whole chicken
Too small to offer any cuts- offer cuts only if taken out of whole chicken
THIGH
- Skin: keep or remove
- Bones:
o Bone-in
o Boneless
o Boneless & pack bones separately with the order
- Only cut option: cut into 2 smaller parts
While the above is doable across markets, the preference to recommend readymade SKUs (skinless, boneless) from branded or unbranded chicken Too time-consuming & more expensive (less quantity) to customize vs branded Offer bone & skin customizations if no readymade SKUs are available
Other chicken parts have limited or no offered cutting options
WINGS
Options:
Only cut option:
Chop into 2 parts – drumette & wingette
Do not offer any other customizations across all markets
NECK
Not sold separately, only when buying a whole chicken
The only option is to chop it off from the body & pack it separately
Do not offer any customizations across all markets
OFFALS
Sold separately, not part of whole chicken
No customizations offered- too sensitive & small-sized
MEAT: Broad Category Highlights
TWO TYPES OF BEEF OFFERED, ONE CUSTOMIZABLE & ONE NOT
Imported / chilled meat cannot be customized by Carrefour’s butchery, while fresh meat can be customized.
Offer customization’s for online orders ONLY for fresh meat.
NO CLEANING NEEDED
Received clean from suppliers, hence, no further cleaning needed.
No need to offer meat cleaning for online orders across all markets.
PDP & PORTIONS COUNT
Crucial to add details around number of pieces or portions to be included in each order.
e.g., 2 kilos would result in approximately 8 ribs, suggest across markets to add a comments box so customers can order by portions & not only by kilos
CAUTIOUS ORDERING
Suggested not to sell meat through Carrefour NOW given current circumstances impacting available meat quantities in-store.
Customers currently call C4 & pre-order then pick up next day / or another agreed on day depending on stock availability.
Carrefour offers three meat ORIGINS, beef & sheep are most prominent across markets
Offline shopping for meat overall offers additional value to customers
HI FIDELITY DESIGNS
