UX | UI Case Study: Big Bazaar
Studying the current digital platforms of Big Bazaar and redesigning one as part of a class assignment.
Brief
My partner and I have worked on an app for Big Bazaar which we were surprised to find out doesn’t already exist. Although there are not that many problems with the current interface, there is always space for improvement and there isn’t a better platform to get practice from.
We studied in detail the brand, its stakeholders, competitors, mission and values. We also analysed all the data and content that the current Big Bazaar digital platforms provide. We decided what all we want to keep and accommodate and what all to change. Then went on to work on the information hierarchy, navigation flow, style guide, wire-framing and finally the prototype.
Disclaimer: It must be pointed out though, that we have only just designed an independent prototype, it has not been put to use and that it is only for our personal learning purposes. This not affiliated with the organisation of Big Bazaar in any way.
Brand Study
Big Bazaar is an Indian retail chain of departmental and grocery stores. It offers good quality products at insanely low prices. The retail chain was founded by Kishore Biyani under his parent organisation Future Group, which is known for having a significant amount of prominence in Indian retail and fashion sectors. Big Bazaar is also the parent chain of Food Bazaar, Fashion at Big Bazaar (abbreviated as fbb) and eZone ; all these are housed under one roof, while it is a sister chain of retail outlets like Brand Factory, Home Town, Central, etc.
Big Bazaar’s mission is to deliver Everything, Everywhere, All the time for all times and for Every Indian consumer in the most profitable manner ; as they have so clearly stated in their tagline- “Is se sasta aur accha kahin nahi.” Big Bazaar values Indianness, Respect, Humility and Openness. They hope to infuse Indian brands with confidence and renewed ambition. They claim to be efficient, cost-conscious and committed to quality in whatever they do. They ensure that their positive attitude, sincerity, humility and united determination shall be the driving force to make them successful.
SWOT Analysis
Strength
Big Bazaar enjoys monopoly in the retail market of Indian, as it is currently one of the biggest if not the biggest retail chain of stores. Big Bazaar offers a wide range of products at low prices and of a good quality. They offer family friendly shopping experience, something that has great value in the Indian market.
Weakness
Unfortunately, one of the biggest strengths of Big Bazaar also happens to be a weakness because Big Bazaar offers products at really low prices, consumers usually assume that the product must be of low quality. Another fallback of the chain is that although it does have some of the best brands available at its stores it doesn’t have all.
Opportunities
Big Bazaar has a lot of scope as it owns 4 percent of the entire retail market in India. There is an increase in the mall culture of the country which is a huge opportunity since almost all Big Bazaar stores are located in malls. It is also convenient for customers to shop at Big Bazaar since it provides a multiple range of products all under the same roof.
Threats
Big Bazaar is mostly threatened by its competitors such as Easy day, Big Basket and Reliance Fresh. Big Bazaar could also be threatened by international players looking to invest in India.
Understanding the Existing Big Bazaar Platforms and Their Shortcomings
Big Bazaar website
It isn’t for shopping or even looking at products. It only exists to see available offers and the new ongoings of the brand. There is nothing that really would interest a customer enough to check it out. There is no reason or motive for a customer to look at the website. In conclusion it is not a platform for any profitable services.
Mobile website
It’s a website not an app and since Big Bazaar intends to sell groceries and everyday items they hope to become a regularly used service so an app is more suitable and profitable. It will remain on their mobile screens and serve as a reminder to the customer that they don’t need to go out shopping when they can have anything delivered.
Future Pay app.
Its priority is to use the future pay wallet which isn’t popular or something the customer has been interested in and only after a lot of unnecessary searching on the app do we finally find the actual Big Bazaar platform. There is no incentive for the customer to download it. In fact a customer looking for the big bazaar app wouldn’t even know to download the Future Pay app.
Hence, we came to the conclusion that an app solely for Big bazaar is required. It could serve the purpose of all the existing digital outlets all the while selling products to customers and even go as far to expand the customer base as it would provide doorstep delivery. Taking into account the pandemic we are in now, it would improve the margin for sale and provide a safe service for both our customers and our employees, a no-contact-interaction.
Redesigning
Purpose
We aim to design an app that is easy to use and provides multiple services; minimum work required from the consumer end. There are additional services provided by Big Bazaar that customers are so unaware of, services that are actually really profitable to both itself and its customers. These are services my partner and I were surprised to find and were only able to because we were looking for them.We intend to educate the customer through the application about everything Big Bazaar does to give back to the Indian society and its customers in current pandemic times.
Navigation Flow
Style Guide
Final Prototype
Introduction
The Final prototype we came up with is very clean and minimalist. It is on brand for Big Bazaar with its adopted orange and blues. It is modern and simple to use.
The Sign In / Sign Up Pages:
The Home Page:
The Product View Page:
New Features
Shopping E-Tokens: This is a recent addition to their services in light of the recent social distancing. It is essentially a shopping appointment so that the number of people in the store at a time can be managed and social distancing can be practiced successfully, without inconvenience to its customers.
Doorstep Delivery and Store Pickup: This conventional online service is pretty regular but Big Bazaar customers are not aware that it provides it.
Quick Buy: Quick Buy is a new option on the app that allows users to build multiple lists that are customizable. This feature has been provided so that when customers have set lists for certain occasions they can simply add all the stuff they need at once instead of having to add everything separately.
Locating Near-by Stores: This is an important part of the app because the delivery is only available if you live close enough to the store. This feature will let you know whether or not you can avail the services that the app provides.
This was a great project to work on. We learnt a lot since it was my first UX UI project. I must thank my partner Kaivalya for the work he put in alongside me and for all of the support.
