Problems
A team overly focused on the product "Idea" rather than "problems"
Like many startups, this team initially focused on coming up with this product idea by observing the market trend but struggled to clearly know the core problem they aimed to solve for users. To address this, rather than jumping to the design direcrly, I decided to conduct a series of research studies. This approach helped me gain a deeper understanding of the current market and consumer purchasing behavior, allowing me to refine the product’s positioning more effectively.
kicking off the project with research to clarify the product value proposition
5 channels for acquire foreign products
In the initial industry research, I conduct a desk research to identify five primary channels for obtaining foreign goods: local physical and online stores, global e-commerce, purchase agents, direct online purchases from foreign shops, and family or friends. Each channel has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of price, product variety, credibility, and purchasing flexibility.
8 users who purchased foreign products in the past one year
To gain a general understanding of people’s shopping behavior—such as their motivation for purchasing foreign goods, reasons for channel selection, and pain points—I conducted a questionnaire to recruit participants. The target group included individuals who had purchased foreign goods at least three times in the past year. Ultimately, I conducted interviews with eight participants, uncovering valuable insights.
Two key user groups in foreign products purchasing
To help the team better understand the audience and make clearer decisions, I created two user personas based on purchasing motivations. The first persona represents individuals who have relocated abroad, driven by cultural preferences to buy goods from their home country, despite challenges like higher costs and uncertain quality. The second persona includes individuals in their home country purchasing foreign goods out of personal interests, such as fans of K-pop or anime, who frequently seek region-specific items to fuel their hobbies.
The popularity of products determines people's channel selection
After synthesizing the interview insights, I identified two key meta insights that stand out as especially important. The first is that product popularity significantly influences how people select their shopping channels. In today’s globalized market, popular products are easily accessible on platforms like Amazon or other e-commerce sites. While these options may come at a higher cost, they provide speed and convenience. This underscores the need for Genie App to focus on its core value: connecting users to “unique foreign products,” which form its distinct market position. These include niche local brands and limited-edition, region-specific items.
Social pressure and inflexibility reduce people's willingness to ask acquaintances for help
Many interviewees noted that direct purchasing from foreign stores or using purchase agents allows them to shop independently. However, these options often come with high free shipping thresholds or shipping costs that can exceed the product’s value. As a result, they frequently turn to friends or family for help with purchasing foreign goods. However, such opportunities are limited, as it’s not always possible to find someone traveling at the right time. Even when the opportunity arises, they often feel hesitant to ask for favors, worrying about inconveniencing others or disrupting their travel plans, especially since the help is unpaid.
HMW statement
After analyzing user purchasing behaviors and key meta insights, I translated them into a HMW (How Might We) statement to help the team focus on the core issue. Interestingly, this statement aligns in many ways with the team’s original idea of using travelers to bridge the gap in inflexibility while also addressing the mental burden of asking acquaintances for favors without offering compensation.
