Fareli
A tool to empower Catalog Retailers
Research Tools
Description
Fareli is a legacy business specializing in shoe sales by catalog, based in México. They manufacture shoes and supply sellers' orders. Their current services surround the experience provided by the shoe catalog. A network of sellers supports their sales system nationwide. Through sellers and catalogs, their sales force and word of mouth spread quickly among friends and family.
About the project
Fareli's director saw COVID on the horizon and knew his business model was in danger. So he contacted Digita Studio to digitalize their business model and expand their opportunities beyond a digital catalog. They wanted to revamp their approach to sales by catalog and put their last effort onto us to define their next steps.
We implemented an e-commerce app that supports multiple catalogs. This e-commerce app would provide the sellers with the necessary tools to continue their sales, expand operations and, in a way, formalize their practices during the pandemic. These tools ranged from a client list with their respective status and order history to an income breakdown and summary. With a single link, they could gather orders from clients as a personalized extension of their app; clients would browse the catalog and make orders with the seller's referral link. All these functionalities are in Fareli's.
The sellers' app connects Clients with sellers to confirm orders and manage references. It connects to their existing ERP to collect clients' purchase orders and supply accordingly to prevent shortages and optimize expenses. Users could browse different catalogs and choose between them. New catalogs would launch seasonally into the app for clients and sellers to share.
Main Design Challenge
How might we involve users (Sellers and buyers) from low-income, low-tech, and low-level education levels in a digital tool that could harness their current social circles and communication tools?
In the research process, we discovered that technically challenged women with low-income and low-level education are the main demographic for sales by catalog in México. Their primary communication tool is Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Therefore, incorporating a new tool could hinder their experience and the purchase decision. Furthermore, after focusing on the interaction around the catalog, we would find out that it was, more often than not, a conversation starter, an excuse to see each other and to stay in touch with their social circle.
We couldn't just throw a digital catalog into the mix. These customers had that already, and their cell phones weren't high-tech smartphones that could manage heavy files on the fly. Instead, the solution needed to be light, sharable, seemingly conservative, easy to use, and scalable. It needed to be something a group of friends could share through a link or a screenshot, a conversation starter.
The solution seemed simple, and that was the hard part. The app would become an extension of the saleswoman. Users share their catalog with their friends through a referral link through WhatsApp groups or Facebook Messenger. Each user who opened the link would receive an invitation to write their phone number for follow-up. Then, they could browse the catalog and make the order right there, notifying the seller about their shopping cart.
Interactions with the seller were common; this way, sharing their order would incentivize a conversation between the seller and the buyer. Finally, they confirmed the order and ensured the seller would only order the authorized selections once they decided. This double confirmation helps the sellers' administration avoid informality.
Conclusion
At first, a tool that could formalize their business and interactions sounded way off from the original scope, but it became a natural step once we understood the user's needs. Fareli's new app became an extension of the seller. Sellers used it throughout the pandemic and reached friends and family for connection. After the pandemic, Sellers and Fareli's team used the app with the printed catalog, and both became important for users' interactions and practices. Stakeholders understood that for the beginning of a deeper and more loyal, long-lasting relationship, they needed to invest in their value chain beyond catalogs and promotional tools.
