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REIMAGINING
CHARITY SHOPS
About The Project
A speculative service design project, focused on researching the way charity shop operate. Project deconstruct charity shops, the challenges it faces, and identifying gaps in its system and accordingly coming up with innovative solutions to fix the same.
A SERVICE DESIGN PROJECT
Collaborative Team Project
Date
Sept 10, 2022
Location
RCA, London
Duration
3 Months
The people behind a service are the drivers of value for both the business and its customers. This project examines the current state of charity shops and envisions a new design for the service that takes into account technological, social, and economic shifts.
Charity shops are retail stores that sell second-hand goods to raise funds for a specific charity or non-profit organization. The items sold in charity shops are often donated by the local community and can range from clothing and household goods to books, electronics, and toys. The profits from the sale of these items go towards supporting the mission and goals of the charitable organization. Charity shops are a popular way for people to give back to their communities while also being able to purchase goods at a reduced cost.
A LITTLE ABOUT
THE PROJECT
PROJECT APPROACH
The Double Diamond method was used to approach the project by examining the current state of charity shops and envisioning a new design for the service. The steps were as follows:
DISCOVER
Research the current state of charity shops, including the current business model, operations, and customer base.
DEFINE
Define the challenge or problem that the charity shop service is facing. Develop a clear project brief including the desired outcome and the target audience.
DEVELOP
Generate a wide range of ideas and concepts and Evaluate and refine the ideas, using customer feedback, stakeholder input, and expert insights.
DELIVER
Develop a detailed implementation plan for the new design, including a timeline, budget, and resources required.
PHASE 1
UNDERSTANDING CHARITY SHOPS
We employed multiple methods in our research of charity shops, including desk research, interviewing individuals, and visiting charity shops on-site, and talking to people.
We began the project with the Discovery stage, conducting in-depth research on charity shops. We covered all aspects, including their operation, establishment, funding, and more
THINGS WE EXPLORED DURING THE RESEARCH PHASE
History & impact of charity shops
Business models used by charity shops
Government and its involvement
Process of setting up a charity shop
Key stakeholders involved
02
IDENTIFYING KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Through desk research, we were able to identify key stakeholders involved in running a charity shop. This helped us break down the charity shop as a service and helped us understand each stakeholder's role in it.
DONATORS
Research the current state of charity shops, including the current business model, operations, and customer base.
BUYERS
Research the current state of charity shops, including the current business model, operations, and customer base.
SHOP MANAGER
Research the current state of charity shops, including the current business model, operations, and customer base.
EMPLOYEES
Research the current state of charity shops, including the current business model, operations, and customer base.
GOVERNMENT
Research the current state of charity shops, including the current business model, operations, and customer base.
04
MAPPING OUT THE SYSTEM
After completing the research, we compiled our findings and mapped out the entire charity shop process, from opening to operation. It helped us understand the overall system and in identifying gaps and scope for improvement.
05
END OF RESEARCH PHASE
At the end of discovery stage, we were expected to present our findings as part of college assessment and we decided to create a video to do the same. I was responsible to write the script and edit the video. We received wonderful feedback and comments from our tutors and were highly motivated to take the project to the next stage.
GAINING INSIGHTS & DEFINING THE PROBLEM
01
DESK RESEARCH
As a group, we spent time reading a lot of articles and going through various charity shop websites to get to know more about them.
We compared the top performing charity shops in the UK, analyzed customer feedback, examined changes in government funding, and reviewed success and failure stories
This helped us understand charity shops better and guided us in crafting interview questions.
03
INTERVIEWS
After desk research and identifying stakeholders, we still had few questions to which we couldn't find answers online.
So we began framing questions and started going out to various stores to get answers to our questions.
We interacted with various stakeholders and enjoyed the process. It helped us get answers to our questions and we got a chance to personally experience how charity shops work.
DONATOR
Name : Michael
Gender : Male
Age : 34
Location : London, South Kensignton
Occupation : Primary school teacher
Income : £ 27,899 / Year
Family Members : wife, daughter
Interests : Painting, watching football
Motivations for donating:
1. To save storage space at home
2. To make a contribution to charity
3. Loves the concept of charity shops and would love to be part of it.
Frequency of donations: once a month
Donated items: Daughter's clothes and toys
Pain Points:
1. Few donations are not accepted
2. Time consuming
3. Need to travel to donate
BUYER
Name: Marry
Gender: Female
Age: 29
Location: London, South Kingston
Occupation: UX Designer
Income：£31,647 / year
Family members: Single
Interests: Love dogs, Reading books, focus on disadvantaged groups
Motivations for donating:
It's fun to visit the charity shop with friends
Loves the surprise element when visiting a charity shop
Items are affordable
Frequency of visiting charity shop: once a fortnight
Types of purchases: clothes, books, vintage furniture
Pain Points:
Difficult to find something very specific.
Clothes vary in quality and size
EMPLOYEE
Name: Ramya
Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: London, Portobello
Occupation: Charity shop staff
Income：£15,857 / year
Family members: Husband, Mother
Interests: Love sports, recycling
Motivations for donating:
Experience working at a small scale business.
Flexible work hours
Self-value
Donations received: apparels, jewellery, clothes, books
Pain Points:
Uncertainty of donations
Difficulty in sorting donations
MANAGER
Name: John
Gender: Female
Age: 42
Location: London, South Kingston
Occupation: Charity shop's manager
Income：£22,857 / year
Family members: Husband, Mother
Interests: Love cats, Cooking, Making desserts
Motivations for donating:
Do charity work and work for an organisation that helps other people.
Receives and manages donations (apparels, jewellery, clothes, books)
Pain Points:
Low income
Finds it difficult to sort donations
Difficulty training employees
Digital Exclusion
Post covid, Hybrid models of remote and office working are already in place for many employers and could become the norm
The loss of in-person contact could come at a cost in different ways, and service users might still want to access services with a ‘human touch’.
Online Fundraising
While cash is still the dominant way for people to donate money to good causes, further digitisation of giving might have also been accelerated by the pandemic.
Charities will have to find the right balance between online and offline approaches in their fundraising and in how they engage supporters.
Voice
It is crucial for charities to communicate their beliefs and purpose effectively to the public. By doing so, they can raise awareness about their cause and attract support from the community. This can help increase the number of donations received, volunteer involvement, and overall impact of the charity.
Moreover, by advocating on behalf of the communities they serve, charities can bring attention to important social, economic, or political issues.
Sorting
Charity shops often receive a large volume of donations, making it difficult to sort through and categorize all items efficiently.
Space are often limited in charity shops, making it challenging to to store sorted items until they can be put out for sale.
Charity shops often have limited staff and resources, making it difficult to allocate enough time and personnel to sort through donations.
FINDING GAPS IN THE EXISTING SERVICE
DEFINING PROBLEM STATEMENTS
DISCOVERY
STAKEHOLDER PERSONAS
Once we identified various challenges charity shop face, we detailed that in an illustrative map format. This helped us in giving a direction to start speculating possible solutions.
Key stages involved in the process
Problem/gaps we identified in the process
Problem/gaps we identified in the process
SPECULATING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO FIX EXISTING GAPS IN THE SERVICE
Upon identifying gaps, we started researching ways to fix them. At this moment, we as a group decided to take a speculative approach and started reimagining how the charity shop would continue to operate a couple of years down the lane.
We began discussing not only how would charity shops operate in the future but also started considering key factors that might drive the change in the way it would operate.
FACTORS THAT MIGHT DRIVE A CHANGE & FIX EXISTING GAPS
PSYCHOLOGY OF SHOPPING
TECHNOLOGY
EMPLOYMENT
POLICY CHANGE
E-COMMERCE
WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT
LOGISTICS
CLEANING & SORTING
RECYCLING
CLEANING PROCESS
KEY TRENDS AND INSIGHTS
02
Digital technology will further intergrate into the retail experience
Smart mirrors, digital mannequins, QR codes, and interactive apps will become an integral part of the future shopping experience.
Sophisticated data-driven and AI-powered supply chain models will manage every component of the retail supply chain, including production, freight, warehousing, inventory management, and shipping.
01
The shop design determines the offline experience and can strengthen a sense of community
While the growth in internet retail has seen many businesses move to online-first strategies, customers still crave in-store experiences.
To attract today’s experience-led shoppers, retail spaces have to be reimagined: One key trend is ‘retailtainment’, a mix of entertainment, dining, music and shopping under one roof.
03
Circular economy models are being prioritised
Consumer behavior is changing and charity shops can be seen to be at the forefront of more ethical and environmentally aware shopping habits.
A circular economy for fashion creates better products and services for customers, it contributes to a resilient fashion industry, and regenerates the environment.
04
National and local sustainability policies are strengthening
The GPA’s (Government Property Agency) Net Zero Programme is leading the UK government's drive towards Net Zero to reduce UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 100% by 2050 (against 1990 levels).
Local councils are developing “green plans” to demonstrate actions for change.
THE DIGITAL DONATION SOLUTION
An end to end service that manages donation quality control and delivery pathways to charity shops
Our solution will start at the root of the service – donations. We propose to change this piece of work, and those who do it, to improve how charity shops run and how both management and volunteers can utilize their time.
We are introducing three new assets (The app, smart box, and pick up bots). All three assets would be interconnected through cloud technology and would work seamlessly to improve the existing service.
THE APP
SMART BOX
PICKUP BOTS
CLOUD INTEGRATION
REWARD SYSTEM
E-COMMERCE
THE APP
Quality Check
The app would use powerful camera lense and AI algorithm to scan products and compare it with the original product to determine its quality.
IOT and cloud integration for DBMS
The Internet of things would allow all the assets to be interconnected with each other. This would allow the app to work efficiently and play a key role in database management.
Access to ecommerce & social space
ECommerce Sales Are Projected to Reach $7.4 Trillion by 2025 and having a well-maintained e-commerce site would attract more customers and increase customer retention.
SMART BOX
Idea behind it
Donation boxes are smart machines that would be placed outside the shop, which would allow donators to donate goods without any hassle.
Features & Use:
These machines would use technologies such as NFC, motion sensors, cameras, etc to make the donation experience seamless.
Connected to the cloud, it would receive real-time data on donations and would facilitate easy inventory management.
Why?
Volunteers having to attend to donators in stores is a very time-consuming process and requires a lot of man power.
Smart boxes are high-tech machines that would be placed outside the shop, which would allow donators to donate goods without any hassle.
we believe smart boxes could solve problems that currently exist in charity shops. These boxes would allow volunteers to not worry too much about donators walking into a shop and rather focus on attending to customers.
Make it easier for donators to donate without having to wait in queues and since it would be connected to a cloud network, it would facilitate efficient inventory management
PICKUP BOTS
Idea behind it
Pickup bots are high-tech eco-friendly mobile bots that would provide pickup service from donators when requested.
Features & Use:
Pickup bots are smart bots that help people deliver and pick up items within a 3-6 miles radius. They can navigate around obstacles and ensures safe delivery from point A to point B
Why?
Pickup bots provide donators with an option to donate goods without physically having to go to a charity shop. It is also the perfect solution, for donators who wish to donate a large number of goods.
“A sustainable business is resource efficient, respects
the environment and is a good neighbor”
I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one. I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two
- Jeff Bezos
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