Design-driven Innovation at Harris Farm Markets

Challenge

Harris Farm Markets partnered with The Strategy Group to design unique and exceptional in-store experiences to keep customers coming back in order to give Harris Farm Markets a competitive edge.

Approach

Observing shopper behavior to design experiences they’ll love

The Strategy Group used Design Thinking to observe the in-store Harris Farm experience from the customers’ perspective, conducting over 50 hours of observations and interviews in 5 stores over 9 days.

Seven clear opportunities were identified for redesign: Specials & in-season; Supreme & unusual; Sensory elements; Ready-to-eat; Customer interactions; Signage; Way-finding & traffic.

100+ ideas were cut down to a shortlist of 32 concepts. Four fantastic ideas were then chosen and designed, prototyped and tested in-store to see what worked, what didn’t and what could be tweaked.

Outcomes

“For city folk, it’s about as close as you’ll get to milk straight from the cow. […] Shoppers are being given the chance to buy “single herd” milk — which is collected, homogenised and pasteurised directly on one farm — on tap. And in a novel old-school twist, the milk bar concept allows you to fill your own retro-style glass bottles.”

- Daily Telegraph

Bringing innovative customer experiences to life for local shoppers

Four winning ideas were brought to life:

• Gourmet cheese toasties for shoppers to enjoy one-handed as they wander through the store

• Ready-to-make meals with a gourmet recipe and all the fresh ingredients needed to cook at home

• Drop-and-shop– a halfway check-out for shoppers to leave their heavy basket as they shop

• Single-herd milk