Sam's Club Rapid Innovation - Wine
Client
Sam's Club
Year
Spring 2022
Location
Dallas, TX
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My team and I were tasked with creating “the Next Big Idea” for the Pet Department. Of the twenty-four ideas I came up with, seven were chosen by my group to review internally and two were picked to present to the Director of Innovation at Sam’s Club.
STAR
Situation
After doing extensive research, interviews, design thinking activities, and also receiving and applying the feedback received from the Director of Innovation, Jonathan Saffian, I came up with four pain points and seven ideas that I believe can help push Sam’s Club above their Competitors.
Tasks
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Identified four pain points
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Lack of Education: Pet owners want to be fully aware of their pet’s health and are open to more education on the subject.
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Lack of Access to Affordable Professionals: A big number of pet owners struggle to afford basic access to professionals or services.
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Picky Eaters: Some pet owners struggle to accommodate their pets that are picky eaters.
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People have a need to spend more on their pets.
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Researched and surveyed seven wine shoppers
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Created Personas for Pet Shoppers​
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Lead the Opportunities/ How might We’s Section of the Journey Map
Activities
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Used the Journey Map to evaluate pain points
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Conducted weekly meetings with our stakeholders to gather feedback and validation
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Conducted weekly one-hour meetings with our team
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Created four problem statements based on identified pain points​​
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Used six thinking hats method to evaluate solutions
Results
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Received feedback from the Director of Innovation for Sam’s Club, Jonathan Saffian and Faculty
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Received feedback and validation from my peers and team
1. Pet Owners can Use the Sam’s Club Pet App to Educate Themselves on their Pet’s Health and well-being.
Pain Point: Pet owners want to be fully aware of their pet’s health and are open to more education on the subject.
Insights: How Might We educate pet owners about their pet’s health?
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Catster/Dogster is an application that educates pet owners. They can sign up for emails, ask questions online and overall address their concerns. source source
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Purrch allows pet owners to meet other pet owners with similar interests, learn, and discover more info on their pets. source
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Paway allows people to create a profile for their pets and connects owners with others in the area. source
Solution: Sam’s Club Creates an Educational Pet Application
Sam’s Club can create an application for their members that allows them to create profiles for their pets in order to properly educate them based on their dog’s breed, age, and/or behavior. This app could also connect other members together so they can help each other solve similar issues.
Sam’s club could also benefit from the collection of their members’ pet data and use it to orient their pet inventory and future products.
Who, What, Wow:
Pet owners can use the Sam’s Club Pet App to educate themselves about their pet’s health and increase their pet’s lifespan by 10.5 and 11.8 years. source
This storyboard showcases the process:
Your dog keeps whining and you don't know why.
You use the Pet app to figure out what is wrong.
The app tells you how you can help your dog and you both are happy.
Results:
Feedback from the Director of Innovation: When we presented this idea to the Director of Innovation, he told us that he would love for us to continue forming this idea because he really liked it, However, he also had mentioned that all the other teams in my class had also thought of a similar idea and that it would become a battle of who has the best of the same idea. My team decided not to pursue this idea.
2. People Can Show Appreciation Using Sam’s Club to send Pet Gifts
Pain Point: People want to give gifts to pets belonging to other people.
Insights: How Might We make it easier for people to give gifts to others’ pets?
Solution: People can Use the Sam’s Club Gifting Platform to Send Gifts to Other People’s Pets.
Who, What, Wow:
Pet owners can use the Sam’s Club gifting platform to send gifts to pets and reduce the number of steps required.
You forgot to get a gift for your friend's dog but don't have time.
You use the gifting platform to send a gift with a couple clicks.
You a got a gift in time for Christmas!
3. Sam’s Club Partners with Pet Services to Provide Members with More Affordable Healthcare.
Pain Point: 80% of pet owners say that their financial state was a barrier to getting preventive care for their pets. source
Insights: How Might We increase the accessibility of pet services for pet owners at Sam’s Club?
Solution: Providing more affordable pet health care with partnerships with Pet Services.
Who, What, Wow:
Sam’s Club could partner with pet service establishments and reduce costs for pet owners by 40% to 60%. source
This storyboard showcases the process:
Your dog needs his shots but you don't have enough money.
You go to the Sam's Club partnered veterinarian and you get a discount.
Now you and your pet are happy because you got affordable health care.
4. Sam’s Club Provides 24/7 Customer Service for their Members
Pain Point: 1 in 3 Americans will have an unexpected pet emergency every year. source
Insights: How Might We help address pet concerns after business hours?
Solution: Sam’s Club Adds a Chatbox where Pet Owners can Connect with Professionals.
Who, What, Wow:
Providing 24/7 customer service for pet concerns could help 1 in 3 Sam’s Club pet owners each year. source
Its midnight and your dog is not happy.
You use the pet app to figure out what was wrong.
You discover the problem and your dog is happy.
5. Sam’s Club has Monthly On-Site Vet Visits
Pain Point: Dog Vet Visits have dropped 21% and Cat Visits have dropped 30% but emergency visits have risen. This implies that people are waiting until the last minute to take their pet to the vet. source
Insights: How Might We tend to both the pet owner and their pet’s needs at the same time?
Solution: Sam’s Club Places an Outside Vet Clinic where Members can get a Yearly Exam for their Pets.
Who, What, Wow:
Sam’s Club could add pop-up clinics to their stores and be able to address around 68% of their consumers. source
This storyboard showcases the process:
You only have one hour but you need to take your dog to the vet and do groceries.
Luckily, Sam's Club has a pop-up clinic for the week so you take your dog there.
With the pop-up clinic, you were able to do both in an hour!
6. Sam’s Club Adds a Pet Membership Add-On
Pain Point: People have a need to spend money on their pets.
Insights: How Might We entice pet owners to buy delighters for their pets at Sam’s Club?
Solution: Sam’s Club can add a pet membership add-on to their Sam’s Club membership.
Who, What, Wow:
Sam’s Club could add a pet membership add-on and have up to 15% of their pet owners subscribe. source
7. Sam’s Club Uses Out of Stock Detection Software
Pain Point: Some pet owners struggle to accommodate their pets that are picky eaters.
Insights: How Might We help the owners of picky eaters minimize their pet food and money waste?
Solution: Sam’s Club could Provide Small Food Samples of their Member’s Mark Pet Food Brand for their Pet Owners.
Who, What, Wow:
Sam’s Club could provide small pet food samples and have a conversion rate of up to 30%. source
This storyboard showcases the process:
You bought a bag of food but your dog doesn't like it.
You get food samples to see which food your dog likes.
Now you can buy a full bag knowing it will be eaten.
Thank You for Reading! Any Questions? Contact Me
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