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I went to Al-Husseiny, a specialized store selling only fruits and vegetables, in Al Rehab’s eastern marketplace. When taking a photo of the store, I was stopped by an employee who asked me to delete the photo and warned me against taking pictures of the store in general.

Activities: Customers were walking along the store’s path, stopping at the specific produce they want and picking by hand what to put in their bags.

Environment: Al-Hussieny is organized in a U shape, with customers entering from one end and paying at the other end. produce is lined along every wall.

Interactions: Interactions between customers and staff were limited, as all produce was weighed at the end. Some customers asked employees to receive specific produce for them (ie: bananas) but while I was there, most customers just grabbed them from where they were offered.

Objects: other than the fruits and vegetables on display, there were plastic baskets available as well as plastic bags on hooks in several places throughout the store.

Users: most customers in this store bought several different things, very few had small purchases

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Activities: the fruit and vegetables section was placed immediately next to the entrance, so users could shop for produce as the start of their trip.

Environment: the supermarket made efficient use of space, with the track resembling a 0 to maximize how much produce they can display. I attempted to discern whether the newer produce was stacked on top of the older produce, but most things were very fresh, imported on the same day. it appears fathalla only imports when they’re short on stock, so they go through all their old produce before their new produce.

Interactions: customers would ask an employee to weigh their bag when they are buying unpackaged fruits, potentially adding time.

Objects: fruits and vegetables were positioned along the edges of a 0-track. two scales were placed with employees nearby to weigh. trolleys were positioned right next to the start of the track.

Users: I noticed that there were roughly three categories of customers. the first category has customers that ignore the fruit and vegetables altogether. the second type buys one specific thing. the third type buys 5-6 different fruits and vegetables.

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Observation 1 Mahmoud El Far Supermarket (13, 4, 2025, 3:51 pm) 

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Observation 1 Mahmoud El Far Supermarket (13, 4, 2025, 3:51 pm) 

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Activities

Workers appear to be organizing or unloading items near the entrance.

Shoppers and staff are engaged in retail tasks like shopping, stocking, or cleaning.

Food and waste management might be taking place behind the scenes or near the front for collection.

Possible inventory restocking or delivery is in progress.

Environments

Indoor grocery or convenience store setting.

Front area near the entrance seems to be a gathering point for deliveries or waste organization.

The layout is tight but organized, with frozen items, shelves, and visible product displays.

Interactions

Staff are working together in groups, likely coordinating unloading, organizing, or checking deliveries.

Minimal visible interaction with customers at this moment in the image.

Objects

Shopping cart in the foreground.

Freezers and fridges stocked with food items.

Boxes, crates, and bags in the background possibly related to deliveries or trash organization.

Shelving units and product displays.

Users

Store workers in uniform, actively engaged in tasks.

At least one customer or possibly another staff member observing or waiting.

Delivery staff may also be present.

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A – Activities:

Shoppers are selecting fruits based on their quality, they also can be seen comparing the quality of each to another to pick out the best one.

Also they are reading labels on the pre-packed items to see their expiry date.

E – Environment:

The image represents Seoudi, in golden square, the fruits are ordered in a way to ensure customer flow.

This is a bright, modern supermarket with a strategically organized fresh produce section.

I – Interactions:

Customers interact with the fruit by picking it up, inspecting it, or choosing between packed and unpacked options. The plastic crates and tilted display racks allow both easy access and visibility.

O – Objects:

Fruits ( apples, melons, bananas, oranges, strawberries and more), plastic crates , tilted shelves, plastic packaging, and price labels are present. Each object serves a role in either preserving, displaying, or selling the products.

U – Users:

Individuals are seen looking for fresh products (farther from expiry). The design is made for quick decisions and high visibilty.

Most Men that are there always tend take what is displayed closest to the rack.

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A – Activities:

Staff arrange items on shelves by placing products that are about to expire at the front.

Customers tend to grab items near the cashier, often making impulse purchases.

E – Environment:

The shelves are organized in a strategic way to minimize waste.

The checkout area is busy and fast-paced, creating a sense of urgency for shoppers.

I – Interactions:

Staff interact with products by rotating stock based on expiry dates.

Customers interact with products more impulsively when near the cashier due to a sense of rush or fear of forgetting something.

O – Objects:

Shelved products (especially those close to expiration).

Products placed near the cashier for last-minute grabs.

U – Users:

Supermarket staff aiming to reduce waste and encourage sales.

Customers making decisions influenced by product placement and their shopping environment.

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Activities:

Fresh vegetables --> tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce are delivered in bulk and displayed on open shelves or baskets.

Customers select only the freshest vegetables, often picking those in front, leaving older stock behind.

Some may touch or inspect many items, leading to slight damage.

Environments:

The store has one or two small, underused refrigeration

Limited shelf space means vegetables need frequent restocking, and unsold stock is often left exposed

Interactions:

Shoppers avoid older vegetables (even if still good) due to appearance

Employees rotate stock to keep the freshest items at the front

Objects:

Vegetables are displayed in open bins or baskets

Users:

Customers buy only what they need, leaving older vegetables behind, leading to unsold stock.

The store staff is responsible for rotating stock.

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Roles:

Research background (everyone)

2 interviews + Questions (everyone)

2 observations (everyone)

Initial Problem statement (everyone)

Stakeholder map (Youssof Atwa)

Main Insights, Extra Methods (Hadeel Ahmed)

Persona/empathy map (Ali Effat)

Journey map (Mazen Nassef) & (Hadeel Ahmed)

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We decided to interview supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and consumer in order to get a full picture from different stakeholders then choose which one to focus on.

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At this stage, we decides to focus on supermarkets.

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12/4/2025 2:30 pm, Bab El Harir Restaurant, Mazen Shamtan

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Doesn't really have waste because as a restaurant they only make food by orders, so they don't expect to have extras or waste often.

The food that is used by customers, they throw it away.

The food that is extra and unused they give it to poor people.

In Ramadan and Eid the waste does not increase.

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12/4/2025 4:00 pm, El Rady Vegetable Store, Hatem Abdelaziz

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El Rady Vegetable Store Interview with Supermarket Worker

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El Rady Vegetable Store Interview with Supermarket Worker

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There are some food like Kousa, before it could get damaged, they cut and clean it in a different shape and sell it in a different way.

Food that cannot be cleaned....

they usually offer a discount in order to get rid of the vegetables, before being damaged.

is given to Egyptian Food Bank, organizations, or poor people.

If it is damaged, then it is thrown away.

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Seoudi Fruit & Vegetable management Interview

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Seoudi Fruit & Vegetable management Interview

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Key points:

Weekly seuodi loses about 7kg of fruits or vegetables due to long term shelving.

Mushroom and Tomatoes are quick to expire therefore mostly they are most probable to go to waste.

Strawberry is the one that when the season is over but there is still leftovers unfortunately it is thrown away.

This doesn't affect seuodi financially as there is a contract between them and between their farmers.

To reduce food waste reduced prices by the end of the day might be a way to convince people of buying the whole stock instead of going to waste.

Citation: date: 13 April, 2:33pm, Seuodi(Maadi), name of interviewee: Ms. ebthal

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Observation 1: El Rady Supermarket Observations

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Observation 1: El Rady Supermarket Observations

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Activities:

Items are rotated to ensure the freshest products are at the front.

Expired or damaged items are removed from shelves, especially in the dairy and bakery sections.

Environments:

There are large refrigerated sections for dairy, meats, and fresh produce

Interactions:

Customers pick products with the longest shelf life (freshest).

Staff are responsible for rotating stock.

Supermarkets received more stock than they can sell.

Objects:

Items nearing expiry are often tagged with sale labels to encourage quick sale.

Users:

Customers buy based on discounts

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(By everyone)

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Key Takeaways:

most waste is due to inexperience of the managers who procure produce.

the most common produce sold in egypt are tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and potatoes.

certain types of tomatoes are more sturdy than other types.

supermarkets tend to restock on a daily basis.

good managers buy exactly how much they expect to sell (as my interviewee put it: if you buy 20kgs, you’ll sell 2kgs. if you buy 10kgs, you’ll still sell 2kgs, if you buy 2kgs, you’ll sell all of them without any waste)

after being farmed, produce goes to storage units associated with specific stores and need to be transported from those storage units to the store locations.

each plant is unique, and needs different conditions to survive.

typically, it you refrigerate a fruit or vegetable, you HAVE to continue to refrigerate it, otherwise it’ll spoil. this means that for some fruits like banana’s, it’s better to never refrigerate them at all.

some types of produce can’t be transported large distances (for example, from alexandria to cairo) otherwise they risk spoiling.

citation: april 13th 4:06pm at fathalla supermarket with manager named ayman

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Interview with Fruit and Vegetable procurement manager in Fathalla.m4a

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Interview with an hotel management employee

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Interview with an hotel management employee

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Worked at Sheraton in Customer management had a role in food management.

Challenges faced while serving food is food being hot, clean, on time, and a alot.

Alot of food is being leftover due to people overserving on their plate.

Collaborations with other NGO's help in the food problem but not entirely.

A suggestion in helping in the problem is the tracking of food waste. for example, the most food being wasted to be served in less portions.

Citation: date: 13 April, time: 4:58 pm, Family gathering, name of interviewee: Mahmoud

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Youssof Interview #1 at Mahmoud El Far Supermarket with Supermarket worker

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Youssof Interview #1 at Mahmoud El Far Supermarket with Supermarket worker

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Key points:

Most expired food isn’t just thrown out right away, it depends on where it came from.

Some food companies allow stores to return expired or unsold food.

Some only let you return part of it, like 50%.

Others don’t accept any returns at all.

It often has to be thrown away, even if it still looks or smells fine.

This happens mostly because of safety rules or company policies.

Some foods, like sealed dry goods, might be safe but still can't be sold.

Some food gets recycled, like used cooking oil or food scraps turned into animal feed or compost.

Certain items, like bread or canned goods, may be donated if they’re close to expiring but still safe to eat.

Sometimes staff are allowed to take unsellable food home , depends on the store and the company.

Stores might also mark food down to sell it faster before it expires.

Citation: 13, 4, 2025, 3:36 pm, Mahmoud EL Far Supermarket (fifth settlement). Name of interviewee: Ostaaz Mohamed

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1. Supermarket Stock Manager

Age Range: 30-45

Location: Operative at either Seoudi, Mahmoud el far, Fathallah, and El rady supermarket.

Description/Bio: Managing inventory for vegetables and fruits + checking expiration dates and disposal. Mostly around 5+ years of experience.

Quote:

“الناس بيلومونا لما يلاقوا حاجة منتهية، بس إحنا مش اللي بنقرر تترمي إمتى.”

Goals:

Reduce food waste

Keep the rotation of current stock efficient.

Collaborations with corporates fro help

Pain Points:

high pressure to rotate stock quickly

a lot of waste from close to expiry or damaged packaging

limited partnerships to donate food

Personality Traits:

Responsible

Pressure management

Time managment

2. Supermarket Cashier/Frontline Worker

Age Range: 20 to 35 Years

Location: Also operative at either Seoudi, Mahmoud el far, Fathallah, and El rady supermarket.

Description/Bio: Interacts with customers to see how much they have returned or rejected the most. Often helps in the sorting of stock also.

Quote:

“بنحاول نصرف كل حاجة، بس أوقات الأكل بيقعد كتير على الرف.”

Goals:

Keep customers satisfied with no complaints

Help reduce waste if can be done

Pain Points:

Expired items removing

Customer behavior patterns lead to its wastage, such as overbuying on promotions.

Limited voice given in the food handling policy.

Personality Traits:

Patient

Observant

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Activities

Staff strategically place older vegetables at the front to increase chances of purchase.

Newer produce is shelved in the back to preserve freshness.

Staff actively manage inventory by checking expiration dates.

Near-expiry vegetables are marked with discounts to encourage sales.

Environments

Clean, well-lit produce section within a grocery or supermarket.

Organized shelving dedicated to fresh vegetables.

A visible retail atmosphere with additional products like baskets and backpacks in the background.

Interactions

Staff interact with products through sorting.

Customers interact with produce displays

Indirect interaction between store and customer through discount tags and product arrangement.

Objects

Fresh produce in clear packaging or trays.

Price tags and discount signs

Baskets and containers used for stocking.

Possibly a clipboard or sheet seen near the bottom, possibly for inventory tracking.

Users

Shoppers browsing the vegetable section.

Potential store managers overseeing quality control and pricing strategies.

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Youssof Interview #2 at Carrefour (13, 4, 2025, 5:18 pm. Name of interviewee: Mr. Karam Supermarket worker

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Youssof Interview #2 at Carrefour (13, 4, 2025, 5:18 pm. Name of interviewee: Mr. Karam Supermarket worker

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A lot of the waste comes down to poor planning, especially from managers who don’t have much experience ordering fresh produce.

Supermarkets in Egypt discard large quantities of food daily, especially fresh produce, dairy, and baked goods.

Main Causes:

Expired or nearly expired products.

Fruits and vegetables with blemishes are often thrown away.

Overstocking and poor inventory management.

Charity Donations: Limited donation efforts due to legal barriers.

Composting: Rarely done, even by smaller supermarkets.

Larger chains have policies, but still a lot of waste, like seoudi for example

I wasn't allowed to record the interview because of the supermarket's policy, according to the manager.

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Supermarkets in Egypt frequently discard large amounts of fresh produce, like tomatoes, mushrooms, and strawberries, due to poor overstocking and lack of proper storage and planning, leading to unnecessary food loss and reduced profitability.

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(By everyone)

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interview with average consumer.

I was unable to obtain permission to record this interview.

Key takeaways:

He doesn’t pay attention to how much produce is available at home at any given time, he just buys what’s on a grocery list his wife prepares.

he goes grocery shopping once a week on fridays to buy everything the family needs, for smaller purchases they order delivery from Breadfast throughout the week.

he doesn’t often throw away produce, but when he does it’s most often perishable fruits or vegetables that have either grown mold (tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers) or changed in color (bananas).

he told a story about buying fruits and vegetables from a specific store, and them spoiling almost as soon as he made it home. he stressed that he does not buy from that store anymore. he spent most of the interview time reiterating this point, so it clearly was important to him.

the rising prices make him predict he will eventually focus on buying only essential produce, rather than fruits for enjoyment.

citation: april 13th, 10:32pm, interviewed a relative about his shopping habits.

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He worries about wasting good food due to poor stock planning He believes better organization could reduce waste and boost sales He feels that clearer instructions would ease their daily tasks

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Initial Problem Statement: Supermarkets in Egypt frequently discard large amounts of fresh produce, like tomatoes, mushrooms, and strawberries, due to poor overstocking and lack of proper storage and planning, leading to unnecessary food loss and reduced profitability.

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HOW MIGHT WE.....

stop supermarkets from buying too much fresh food (buying the right amount of tomatoes, mushrooms, and strawberries)

help supermarkets store fruits and vegetables better

help supermarkets plan how much fresh food they need

help fruits and vegetables stay fresh for longer

help workers know which fruits and vegetables to sell first

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What can we do to use historical sales data to forecast future demand for fresh foods exactly?

How can we change supermarket ordering according to real-time demand changes?

How can we promote shorter and more frequent deliveries from suppliers?

How can we train purchasing managers to minimize over ordering in favor of bulk discounts?

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How might we predict which fruits and vegetables will sell faster based on weather or season?

How might we design better packaging to protect fruits and vegetables during transport and storage?

How might we help customers choose slightly older produce to reduce waste?

How might we alert supermarkets when fruits and vegetables are close to spoiling?

How might we make it easier for supermarkets to donate unsold fresh food before it goes bad?

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How Might We:

Minimize time produce spends in transportation

Minimize time produce spends in storage

Accurately predict how much produce will sell before purchasing

Store produce in a way that won’t cause it to spoil as soon as it is taken out of storage

Decrease the time it takes for produce to go from harvest to customers

Make effective use of waste to minimize resources lost

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Supermarkets in Egypt waste large amounts of fresh produce like tomatoes, mushrooms, and strawberries because inaccurate forecasting, poor storage practices, and slow supply chains, causing overordering and faster spoilage.

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Orange notes: Hadeel

Green notes: Youssof

Yellow notes: Mazen

Pink notes: Aly

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brainstorming components of the app (what to include)

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app sketches

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creative thinking project sketching prototype (1)

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For Supermarkets:

Create an account and sign in as a seller.

Upload food items by adding photos, prices, expiry dates, and delivery options.

Sell ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook meals made from ingredients that are still good but close to expiry (like pizza made with leftover tomatoes).

Check sales and stats to see what’s selling and how much food they’ve saved.

Reply to customer messages in case someone has a question or complaint.

For Customers:

Sign up or log in to start browsing and shopping.

Search for food or supermarkets in their area and see details like prices, photos, expiry dates, and delivery options.

Buy ready-to-cook or pre-made meals at lower prices, made by supermarkets from extra ingredients.

Get surprise food boxes, either by paying or using points they’ve earned.

Return items they didn’t use (if still sealed and safe), get their money back, and earn extra points.

Earn points and rewards every time they buy, return food, or donate. Points can be used for discounts.

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Supermarkets need to find better ways to manage and sell food that is close to expiring because a lot of good food is wasted, due to low awareness and limited time to sell.

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ideation filtration process

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Hadeel- Purple

Aly- Blue

Mazen- Orange

Youssof- Green

Everyone - Red

Headings- black

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Considering the fact that we added customers to be interacting with the app, we decided to create a persona of a customer.

Bio / Description:

Young adult living in Cairo (22–35 years old)

Busy professional with a full-time job

Shops weekly for groceries, sometimes online

Cares about saving money and avoiding food waste

Willing to buy discounted or close-to-expiry items if safe

Environmentally conscious and open to sustainable choices

Goals:

Spend less on groceries

Avoid throwing away food at home

Find convenient, fast meal options

Support sustainability and smarter consumption

Pain Points:

Hard to know what’s discounted or expiring soon

Distrust in expiry labeling or freshness

No clear system for returning or exchanging food

Few rewards for being eco-conscious or reducing waste

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Interview with El Rady Vegetable Store Manager 

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Interview with El Rady Vegetable Store Manager 

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The app idea is good and aligns with what they already do.

They currently have a separate store area for nearly expired products, but it's not digital or app-based.

He likes the idea of turning this system into an app.

Concerned that delivery costs would be high and hard to manage.

Thinks it’s risky to allow customers to re-share food, especially for fresh items like vegetables.

Believes it might only work for non-perishable items like cans or packaged goods.

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Interview with supermarket customer in Mahmoud El Far

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Interview with supermarket customer in Mahmoud El Far

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The customer likes the idea, and says the she herself has experienced the situation of picking between close to expiry products or the fresh ones.

She finds that this solves a major problem and will benefit the customers, supermarkets, and farmers involved.

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Overall the pitch was a success. However, there were a few issues.

First, that the audience believed that the app will not be run by a small group of individuals, but rather a massive company that has major tech experience in order for the app to fully function.

Also, that the users might face a few difficulties while navigating their way through the app.

Finally, the issue of products being displayed incorrectly was pointed out by hassan. Basically, that the produce near expiry would not be properly packaged or properly displayed on the app.

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The pitch went well and most of the audience seemed to agree that the core idea is good. however, there were issues that need to be considered.

the largest issue had to do with the organization of the app’s management, basically the business side of things. our team never discussed the app as a business since that was not our main focus, so we had different ideas on how it would be run. some team members thought of it as an independent entity offering a substantial service to supermarkets and consumers, while others considered a tool that would be developed and used by supermarkets and customers. more consideration needs to be given to how exactly it would be managed.

there were minor concerns for filtering and displaying information within the app, but nearly all can be solved by tweaking the UI

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1. Costly for Supermarkets

Starting with only essential features (upload + stats + discounts) to reduce complexity and cost.

Or Offer a basic free version through NGO/government partnerships.

2. Delivery Issues

Partnering with local delivery platforms like Talabat to handle delivery.

We can also offer pickup as the main option to cut costs and avoid spoilage risks.

3. Unclear Logistics - Who’s in Charge?

Clearly assign roles in the app or roles in the supermarket itself or creating a certain team dedicated in for the app— supermarkets manage upload, storage, and pickups; delivery partners handle transport.

Adding an order tracking feature for customers.

4. Food Safety for Customers

Limit returns and customer-to-customer food sharing to sealed, non-perishable items, and not vegetables.

5.Why not just visit the store?

This saves time and helps customers plan smarter shopping trips instead of browsing randomly.

It is more helpful internationally and easier.

We can add...

a "Expiring Soon Tracker" — live feed of discounted items near expiry.

Users can filter by product, expiry window, and store.

Enable alerts when specific items (e.g., dairy, fruits) go on discount nearby.