Working with the Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) to advise a local bodega, we set out to help Emma’s Market improve its business. The LAFPC provides training, guidance, and upgrades to stores helping them distribute fresh produce to food deserts, or areas without equitable access to produce. Consulting with them, we developed a roadmap with recommendations to help Emma’s market based on opportunities for customer growth and business improvements.
Conducting customer interviews, we found the small customer base was mainly local, coming to the store because of its proximity and only purchasing a few small items.
Through interviews with the owners, we learned about their difficult acquisition history and financial hardships. They told us that locals would often go to a nearby competitor, stating they had more merchandise and variety.
In researching other bodegas supported by the LAFPC, we observed higher volumes of customers and purchases and noted other areas for improvement like enhanced organization, product visibility, and elevated signage.
Additionally, other stores were able to take advantage of modern point-of-sale (POS) systems and merchandising strategies, whereas Emma’s kept track of inventory by hand, eyeballing what’s low and refilling at random with limited strategy to stocking, tracking, or presentation.
We found that Emma’s was suffering from a variety of different problems; with low foot traffic, tucked away in the neighborhood, and a lack of sales compared to their competitors, the store was only breaking even. While the owners knew their customers desired more variety, they couldn’t afford variety beyond what the LAFPC provides.
Aside from location and variety, they had a merchandising issue. Without a point-of-sale (POS) system, it is incredibly difficult to create an effective merchandising strategy which would allow them to plan purchases and identify novel offerings.
Focusing on insights gained through our research, we created a plan to enhance the customer experience and increase profitability through updating the layout, organization, and branding of the store. We designed a design system with new logos and signage, reorganized the store following research on grocery merchandising practices, identified key pieces of technology which would increase the owners’ opportunities and merchandising strategies, and outlined a roadmap for future improvements.
When thinking about using design to increase profitability, we spent a lot of time researching how grocery stores layout merchandise and how they plan what to sell based on what is bought using technology like point-of-sale (POS) systems.
We used moodboarding to conceptualize cheap and effective improvements to the design and layout of the store which would increase profitability or customer experience. When thought about what it would look like to include mobile shelves, better signage, and small dining areas both inside and out.
We created a style guide with font, signage, and color scheme recommendations to start the development of a recognizable brand, including the renaming of the store to simply “Emma’s Market” to reflect their product selection.
In reimagining the floor plan, we wanted to create a warmer entryway where customers are greeted with items we are encouraging them to purchase, notably produce and other healthy options, while following common grocery practices for stocking shelves to increase sales.
Acquiring a point-of-sale (POS) system to better track and manage inventory which would not only reduce manual labor, but could also account for popular items and encourage strategic buying practices to reduce waste and lost revenue.
We recommended creating a brand or style guide to inform all physical signage, printables, and digital media. This consistent labeling across shelves and aisles, combined with strategic merchandising, helps customers know where to go to find products, creating a comforting predictability as customers navigate the store.
Consistent, strategic product placement to allow customers to predict where they can find their favorite products. This would enhance product visibility and encourage sales.
In presenting our solution to the LAFPC, we outlined a roadmap detailing specific tasks and timelines related to the larger projects we recommended, summarized in three distinct phases.
By supporting Emma’s Meat Market through this type of redesign, they create intentionality in the physical space within the store to better showcase healthy options. They encourage community members to patronize the store and subsequently access fresh produce.
By engaging our proposed redesign, customers will know what they can expect when they go to Emma’s, increasing patronage while leveraging technology to decrease lost time and revenue.
Emma’s could have a reputation for consistency, predictability, and quality. Customers will know what they can find, and where to find it, and the owners can benefit from merchandising, stocking, and tracking, taking comfort in the knowledge that their customers’ needs are being prioritized.
When we visited, the owners asked for advice on pricing products, were open to business suggestions, and freely shared their struggles and hopes. They work long hours seven days a week and have razor-thin margins, yet despite their difficult circumstances they still have a spirit of hospitality and positivity. The English translation of Juan’s outlook was: “The sun comes out for everyone.”
In the time since our presentation, Emma’s would go on to make changes to their business including updating their store with new branding, shortening their name, and designing a new logo.
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