Unsold goods are an inescapable fact of life in the retail sector, playing a significant role in the economy and inventory management. Unsold stock refers to products that have not been sold to consumers for a given period of time, and which remain on the shelf or in the warehouse.
Although often perceived as a challenge for retailers, unsold goods are attracting increasing attention due to their economic, environmental and social implications. This issue raises crucial questions about the sustainability of business practices, prompting the exploration of innovative solutions to minimize losses, while contributing to more responsible initiatives.
It was against this backdrop that Lukas Liénard and Rafael Lopes created the "Usave" application. "Usavethe Too Good To Go app for non-food products.
In this article, I interviewed Lukas Liénard, founder of "Usave", to find out how this application came about and how it works.
Can you give me a brief presentation of your mobile application and its main objective?
Usave is the Too Good To Go of non-food unsold items. The mobile application that makes the unsold goods lying dormant in store stock visible to thousands of local consumers!
What was the inspiration behind the creation of this application?
Usave was born after watching a report denouncing the destruction of unsold goods. We saw televisions, toys and even baby diapers being destroyed. Aware of the financial difficulties of the French, especially in this inflationary context, it was obvious for us to take up the fight against these practices.
What unique or innovative features does your application offer?
The point of Usave is to make it possible to sell products that are destined to lie in storage until destroyed, or to be over-transported hundreds/thousands of kilometers. And for our responsible initiative to become widespread, it must have a positive economic impact for our retail customers.
In addition to selling unsold goods, our platform enables them to be visible locally to thousands of private individuals in the vicinity, and to generate qualified physical traffic and additional sales when the order is collected.
How did you finance the development of the application?
Initially, through a bank loan. We are currently preparing to raise funds for 2024.
Who are your main users (age range, gender, etc.)?
We have three main user categories:
Students, young mothers and bargain hunters in general. Our average age is around 35.
How do you plan to develop the application in the future? Do you already have any new features or updates planned?
Absolutely, the application will evolve to make its use ever more fluid and value-generating for both professional and private users.
- Pro: Streamline and simplify product addition and order management as much as possible
- Individuals: Personalizing the customer experience
- Global : Avoided carbon footprint calculator
How many partner boutiques do you have to date? What's your goal in this area?
We work with some forty Carrefour stores, Leclerc, Intermarché, Auchan, Cora, Levi's, Oxybul, Avril, Labelvie, etc., as well as dozens of independent boutiques.
We're going to start replicating the service in new regions and accelerate the roll-out to our retail customers.
How do you promote your application?
Mainly through the media (Capital M6, JT 20h TF1, Radios, Press, etc.), online advertising and the distribution channels set up by our partner retailers.
The Usave application is available on App Store and Google Play
Thanks to Lukas for answering my questions.