The idea was born at the beginning of the lock-down in Italy, when the problem of shopping became explicit. Supermarkets were full of people trying to buy as much as they can, making shopping there highly uncomfortable. In the same time, local markets were closed, and small shops were struggling to establish convenient and competitive delivery services. This context revealed the problems that we are trying to solve: allow people to comfortably buy local high quality food without having to spend time and go to the supermarket, while at the same time providing a possibility for a convenient anв innovative way to sell products for local producers.
The majority of working people between 20-55 years old cannot afford the time to go shopping for high quality food at the local market and local shops. They have to go to the supermarket instead.
On the other hand, small artisanal shops and market sellers are greatly suffering from this competition, because people prefer to go to the supermarket, where they can buy everything they need in one place but giving up on quality. Small shops would like to attract more customers, but very few of them have the resources to establish an e-commerce or do delivery service.
Moreover, we found out that during and after the period of the Coronavirus, 82% of Italians prefer to buy only products that are made in Italy, in order to support local economy in this difficult time.
We developed an application called BuynLoco, that allows people to buy local products online, directly from their favorite shops and producers. Users can order products from local shops whenever they wish to, as well as make orders from the local market that will be delivered on the market-day. Products are sorted by categories (bread/vegetables/fruit etc.) and by shop or producer. Every shop has a page with reviews from other users and the story of the shop. BuyinLoco allows its users to enjoy high-quality, fresh products from trusted local shops, without spending their time on shopping.
For the sellers, we provide the possibility to create a profile for e-commerce, a management app to track and prepare the orders, as well as delivery service. Once the seller has received an order, he/she prepares it and signals it on the app. A rider come to gather the order and delivers it to the customer.
We promote sustainable delivery: our riders work in ethical labor conditions and have competitive wages. We also use only ecological transport.
