About
QPQ hopes to launch a new service in order to cater to South Korea’s growing demands for new ways to explore and purchase meals.
My Role
QPQ was a startup founded by me and my friend, John Yoo. John was responsible for business & operations, while I was responsible for all creative efforts - including branding, market research product design, full UI/UX design, marketing content, and some illustrations. I have worked closely with our developers to determine technical feasibility, establish development priorities, lead regular meetings to discuss progress, and other necessary product communications.
Objective
Differentiate QPQ's offerings, especially on PDP, from bigger competitors to create a unique customer experience that can only be found through our brand.
Insights
After the market and target demographic research, we have identified four major factors that are shaping the way Korean consumers behave:
1. "Bbali-Bbali" culture
In Korea, everything moves in a light-speed; from everyday hustle at work or school,
to spreading a new trend, and adapting of innovations in all sectors.
Competition is fierce on all frontiers, and even the way people eat is evolving to match the haste.
to spreading a new trend, and adapting of innovations in all sectors.
Competition is fierce on all frontiers, and even the way people eat is evolving to match the haste.
https://www.opinionnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=48968 [ The “Bbali-Bbali” Culture’s Persistence and Perserverance - Where Does It Come From? ]
2. Smaller household sizes
Alongside with the speed, the family size is also seeing a shift. Young professionals are moving out more than ever before, resulting in a rise of one or two-persons households. This means the large traditional meals are going out of style for a quicker and more convenient HMR (Home Meal Replacements).
https://www.mk.co.kr/news/economy/view/2021/07/732452/ [ 6 out of 10 Residents Are 1-2 Persons Household...1.27 Million People In Their 20s Are Living Alone ]
3. Growing prefrence for better quality
Switching to quick & convenient does not mean compromising for lesser quality.
The market demand for premium HMR are at an all-time high, and to match the demand, HMR market is exploding in size, with hundreds and thousands of new products in wide varities.
The market demand for premium HMR are at an all-time high, and to match the demand, HMR market is exploding in size, with hundreds and thousands of new products in wide varities.
https://www.sedaily.com/NewsVIew/1VGHY6DPS3 [ Convenience Meals, Higher Price Is Okay if Quality Improves ... Wishes For More Menus Such As Vegeterian ] https://www.hankyung.com/economy/article/202107218165i [ The End Of Traditional Home Meal ... The ‘Big Bang’ Over The Food Industry Has Begun ] https://n.news.naver.com/article/015/0004509892?sid=101 [ Super Easy HMRs are Catching Up to Home Cooked Meals]
4. The Decision Making Disorder
A colloquial term which describes an incredible difficulty to commit to making a choice.
Due to the flood of new products and trends pouring out to the market at an incredible pace,
80.6% of Korean adults have said to experience the “Decision Making Disorder” moment.
The most likely scenario? “Picking what to eat (23.3%)”.
Due to the flood of new products and trends pouring out to the market at an incredible pace,
80.6% of Korean adults have said to experience the “Decision Making Disorder” moment.
The most likely scenario? “Picking what to eat (23.3%)”.
https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2017/11/27/2017112700597.html [ 80% Of Adult Men And Women Have Experienced The Decision Making Disorder ... Even When Picking A Significant Other? ]
To Summarize: More and more Korean consumers are seeking a quick & convenient meal that delivers premium & healthy options, yet the fast-moving market with seemingly endless product choices fatigues consumers from finding the right product for themselves.
However, as of right now, there is no platform that specifically focuses on HMRs.
Problem Framing
How would our new platform help users discover & shop for a perfect HMR for them, and share the insights to get inspired & inspire others?
Solution
QPQ will provide two platforms married in one: an E-commerce with a heavy focus on
personalization & product matching, and a community portal with inspirational content &
connection to the store to encourage purchase.
personalization & product matching, and a community portal with inspirational content &
connection to the store to encourage purchase.
First take on PDP with related contents feature.
Our initial approach was simple: Create a conventional eCommerce platform, but tag related user-generated contents that feature the relevant product. This approach was not successful, as we barely got any traffic and had an extremely low conversion rate. On top of that, as a small startup, we simply could not match with the bigger, well-established competitors in terms of product and service offerings.
I had to find a way to innovate our service to deliver an even more unique experience that is also feasible from a business perspective.
I had to find a way to innovate our service to deliver an even more unique experience that is also feasible from a business perspective.
Research
We wanted to look into ways that we can differentiate our platform from the competitors by rethinking how to share product recommendations more effectively. Many platforms utilize machine learning AIs to provide related product recommendations for upselling, and they are becoming more and more excellent by each day.
However, it is a well-established fact that the most effective means of product recommendation is through word of mouth, and we wanted to simulate certain elements of it and incorporate them into our platform.
Notes from meals with friends & families to identify how we discuss, share, and ultimately recommend food.
After identifying certain key aspects from personal conversations and research, we set out to convert them into product recommendation services with human connection as a cornerstone.
various idea sketches for new services.
Enhanced PDP flow prototype. Newly added features are broken down below.
Outcome
1. VS Comparison
“Am I REALLY sure that this is the pork dumpling I’ll like over hundreds of other pork dumplings?”
“Am I REALLY sure that this is the pork dumpling I’ll like over hundreds of other pork dumplings?”
VS comparison allows users to compare a specific product to other products of the same kind.
The comparison will be given by other users providing insights by adding tags to describe how a particular product is different from other brands in terms of flavor, quality, quantity, and other means of description.
Creating a new VS Comparison.
Screen breakdown
A user will be prompted after purchasing/browsing/searching for an item to contribute by providing a comparison for the brands they are familiar with. Once they choose the product to compare, they can choose from the list of tags. They can also type to search or add a custom tag. Once they have selected enough tags, they will be uploaded to the system, which will be reviewed and added once approved.
Approved contributions will be tallied and shown on the product details page. Providing a contribution & successful user engagements will grant small amount of points, and the user will be notified of engagements from other users from the homepage and the notifications tab.
Browsing VS Comparison.
2. Paring Recommendation
“I like jaeyuk bokkeum, but a meal with just that and a bowl of rice feels...incomplete.”
“I like jaeyuk bokkeum, but a meal with just that and a bowl of rice feels...incomplete.”
An essential part of Korean meal is banchan (side dishes), and the emphasis on finding right food pairings and combinations has been a staple part of Korean food culture..
The Pairing Recommendations is a community effort to share and celebrate various types of food combinations and menu setups that aims to enrich each meal with endless possibilities.
Creating a new Pairing Recommendation.
Screen breakdown
A user will be prompted after purchasing/browsing/searching for an item to contribute by recommending a pairing combination for a particular product. The user will add up to three products as a pairing for the main product, and provide a short description to explain the reasoning behind the recommendation.
Approved pairing will be shown on the product details page with crediting the contributor’s username as an author. Providing a pairing recommendation & successful user engagements will grant small amount of points, and the user will be notified of engagements from other users from the homepage and the notifications tab.
Browsing Pairing Recommendation.
3. Still Not Sure?
For those who are truely lost as to what to eat, or feeling adventurous and seeking to discover something new, we have the “Still Not Sure?” feature.
For those who are truely lost as to what to eat, or feeling adventurous and seeking to discover something new, we have the “Still Not Sure?” feature.
Inspired also by conversations I’ve had with my wife while we couldn’t figure out what to stream while we have dinner together, we came up with a way to provide curated recommendations that will take them to a relevant yet suprising new findings.
Still Not Sure? feature flow within PDP.
A module with up to three recommendations will be on a product details page, each with a prompt for a surprise suggestion. The prompt will be written and presented in a way that will entice users to engage, and tapping on a prompt will lead them to an unexpected product that may suit their interest.
Unlike the first two services, “Still Not Sure?” will be initially curated directly from QPQ and regulated to promote unique and unusual finds. While it will show a specific product, the product will be chosen from a pool of products of the same kind with good reviews, prioritizing products with a less traffic.
Selections of categories with sample questions and answers.
Possible product-specific exmaples.
4. More Product Details, Product Comparison, & Cart
On top of the sections already presented, the product details page also includes additional product info & nutrition facts, related user content, similar product recommendations, and user reviews.
On top of the sections already presented, the product details page also includes additional product info & nutrition facts, related user content, similar product recommendations, and user reviews.
Most importantly, the product details page will feature a store comparison modal which allows users to choose a marketplace that provides the best price, promotions, and shipping options from them. Users can add products from several different marketplaces to the cart and purchase them all at once through QPQ’s store checkout. This new approach allows us to circumvent direct competition with larger platforms, but instead establish a symbiotic relationship with them where markets can promote their offerings to consumers through our platform.
PDP & Cart.
Additional Pages
1. Homepage & My QPointsThe homepage has a good mix of product promotions — hero banner promotions, product recommendations, and recently ordered/shipped info (when applicable) — and community engagements — stories, today’s popular posts, activity badges, and top 10 posts —.
QPoints is a point reward system that can be earned and used with purchases & community engagements, Points history and current point amount can be viewed on the dedicated My QPoints page.
Homepage & My QPoints.
2. Market & Community
The onboarding process for a new user will collect simple personal information, and ask two important questions to understand their preferences: their usual eating habit (eating out, cooking at home, delivery, HMRs, etc.) and favorite menus. Answering these questions will help QPQ to generate initial recommendations of products and community posts to help them get started.
The onboarding process for a new user will collect simple personal information, and ask two important questions to understand their preferences: their usual eating habit (eating out, cooking at home, delivery, HMRs, etc.) and favorite menus. Answering these questions will help QPQ to generate initial recommendations of products and community posts to help them get started.
3. Search
The landing page for the store shows the current popular rankings of products by category. When a user taps on the search bar, it will show recent search history. Typing a search item will provide quick search results that can be filtered into all results, tags, people, and products.
The landing page for the store shows the current popular rankings of products by category. When a user taps on the search bar, it will show recent search history. Typing a search item will provide quick search results that can be filtered into all results, tags, people, and products.
Rankings and search results.
4. Onboarding
The onboarding process for a new user will collect simple personal information, and ask two important questions to understand their preferences: their usual eating habit (eating out, cooking at home, delivery, HMRs, etc.) and favorite menus. Answering these questions will help QPQ to generate initial recommendations of products and community posts to help them get started.
Onboarding flow.