As a SaaS-company in the retail sector, we operate in a constantly changing industry. It is therefore important to us to continuously develop our products and solutions. We use the Service Design Thinking method to ensure added value for our customers when further developing products or developing new solutions. The core of this user-centered, analytical method is to fully adopt the customer's perspective in order to understand problems and needs and solve them in a customer-oriented manner.

Why is Service Design Thinking the right approach for us?

Retailers today have to deal with many customer requirements and challenges. The integration of online and offline retail as part of an omnichannel strategy helps retailers to meet customer expectations. However, many fulfillment solutions and order management systems are outdated and do not really add value for retailers. We use Service Design Thinking to ensure that we create direct added value for our customers with our software solutions and to further develop ourselves in a customer-oriented way. With a user-centered perspective, we generate creative and innovative ideas, from which initial prototypes and later scalable products are created. When developing our products, we always have the previously defined specific pains and needs of retailers in mind in order to create a benefit for them. We can use this method flexibly for new product ideas or the optimization of existing products. It is important for us to use a flexible method because omnichannel retailing is a constantly changing business area. That's why we always need new ideas and a change of perspective.

We use Service Design Thinking to ensure that we create direct added value for our customers with our software solutions and to further develop ourselves in a customer-oriented way.

How do we use Service Design Thinking?

Service Design Thinking is a very comprehensive approach that includes an entire methodological toolbox.

Idea Napkin

At fulfillmenttools, we mainly use ideation methods such as the Idea Napkin method. This method is particularly suitable for enriching an existing idea. For this method, something is needed to write down the idea (be it a napkin, a sheet of paper, a whiteboard or a Word document). Five simple aspects are taken into account when documenting the idea:

1. Give the idea a descriptive name.
2. Define the target group and work out how they will benefit from the idea.
3. Describe which user need is being addressed and for which problem solutions are being created.
4. Describe the solution approach: What are the key points of the solution?
5. Record in a visual sketch how the idea solves the problem.

Example: Customer challenge regarding advice in stationary retail

1. Gamification via app
2. Retailers benefit from the idea because more and better advice from store employees can generate more sales.
3. Employees in stationary retail are often not in a position to provide customers with good and individual advice.
4. An app with a gamification approach teaches employees new consulting skills and product know-how in a playful way.
5. A corresponding sketch can be created on a sheet of paper or digitally.

„How Might We“-Method

The „How Might We“-method is also one of the ideation methods for the open-ended development of ideas and solutions. Problems and challenges are formulated as questions that begin with the words "How might we...". The method is particularly suitable at the beginning of a project for defining and examining challenges or in the phase of developing concrete solutions. A good „How Might We“-question names a precise target group, describes a user-centered problem and refers to the added value created by solving the problem.

Example: Customer challenge regarding sustainable fulfillment

Question: How might we create an opportunity for retailers to avoid unnecessary packaging material in order to become more sustainable and reduce costs?

Solution: We integrate a suggestion for selecting the right packaging material in the app, which employees in the warehouse or store use for order fulfillment.