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Krakow, Poland

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Refill-as-a-Service

Category :

Digital Design, Industrial Design, Business Design

Client :

Swapp! | Carrefour, Auchan, SuperPharm (Retail Chains) | Yope, Jelp (FMCG Brands)

Timeline :

2021

Role :

Head of Design & Technology, Co-founder

01. The
Challenge

Every minute, humanity consumes over a million plastic bottles—an alarming figure that underscores one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

Sustainability was a topic close to my heart since 2008. Swapp! was born from a lively coffee table conversation with Simon, one of the co-founders, where a shared passion for sustainability drove us to think beyond the box and come up with innovative ideas.

We rephrased the problem in to a few HMW's:
- How might we equip retailers and producers with innovative, sustainable sales channels for FMCG that reduce environmental impact?
- How might we inspire and empower consumers to adopt more sustainable habits when purchasing and using FMCG products?
- How might we drive widespread awareness and encourage behavioral change to minimize the reliance on single-use packaging in everyday purchases?

02. The Solution

Refill-as-a-Service: buy product, not packaging.

Swapp! offers a unique solution in Poland, enabling brands to sell their products through Swapp!'s refill stations. Customers can purchase products using their own packaging or opt for reusable packaging provided near the refill station within the retail space. After filling their packaging, a label is printed with EAN codes and product details. Customers can then pay for their refilled products at the checkout, seamlessly alongside their other purchases.

The Ecosystem

Essentially, there are 3 key elements in the refill-as-a-service ecosystem. Click for more details.

1. Refill Station

A state of the art Refill Station with modern and modular design, with 2 independent dispensers. Upto 8 liquid products can be dispensed with a total bulk capacity of 160 liters (20 liter max per product, but usually filled up to 12 liters for easy handling). Large interactive screen for the end Customers, which double up as a solid advertising screen. The unique 'pacman' holding mechanism supports dispensing into 95% of the bottles in the market as well as into jars. 

2. Smart Packaging

Reusable and traceable Packaging made of virgin HDPE. Usual capacity of 500-1000ml. Glass bottles were also provided in some of the retail points due to requirements from the brand. 

3. Connected Apps

Partners are provided with a Partner web app for monitoring inventory and sales. Admin has a webapp for overlal solution management. Customer mobile app helps in discovery of refill points, products available, CO2 footprint, as well as provides loyalty benefits. 

1. Refill Station - Key Features

The refill stations were designed with 2 independent dispensing units, each supporting 8 separate product lines, allowing for the dispensing of multiple product categories. This setup offered a total of up to 8 unique products. The innovative Pac-Man mechanism ensured compatibility with most commercially available bottles and jars, accommodating varying neck sizes for a seamless refill experience.

Initial Sketches

Customer UI

Mockups & Prototypes

Implemetations

Swapp! successfully implemented a total of 8 refill stations across three of the leading retail chains in Poland: Carrefour, Auchan, and Superpharm. These stations were strategically located in three major cities: Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Krakow. The rollout included installations in both sprawling hypermarkets and mid-sized stores, catering to a diverse range of customer needs and shopping environments.

This initiative marked a significant step toward integrating sustainable practices into mainstream retail, providing customers with convenient access to refill solutions and encouraging the adoption of reusable packaging in everyday shopping.

Role & Impact

I had the pleasure to work across various functions in this project. Primarily I was leading all the Design and Technology function. Along with that,

As Head of Design and Technology, I had the opportunity to lead and collaborate across multiple domains:

  • UX/UI Design: Designed the user experience and interfaces for a 27-inch interactive refill station screen, a web solution for partners and administrators, and a mobile app for end customers.
  • Product Configuration Design: Led the design and optimization of product lines, dispensing mechanisms, and packaging handling systems to ensure efficient operations and user satisfaction.
  • Development Collaboration: Worked closely with frontend and backend developers to implement the designed UX/UI, ensuring seamless integration and functionality.
  • Cross-Functional Development: Partnered daily with mechanical, electronics, and embedded engineering teams to oversee the end-to-end development process, successfully implementing all core functionalities of the refill stations.
  • Testing and Iteration: Collaborated with the development team on rigorous testing and iterative improvement cycles to refine and enhance the final solutions.

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