This report describes a strategic design project with Pieter Pot, a Dutch online packaging-free supermarket, to address challenges such as low order frequency and a narrow business case that hinder long-term profitability. The project aimed to identify and design a strategic pivot to improve the value proposition for sustainable growth. The guiding research question was: How can Pieter Pot use its strengths and acquired audience to pivot towards a new, more sustainable, and scalable proposition, while ensuring continued relevance and growth in an increasingly competitive market?

Using a Double Diamond design approach, the project analysed company data, consumer insights (148 respondents), competitors, and literature. Various pivot directions were evaluated, with food waste prevention emerging as the most promising. Customer research indicated significant interest in food waste prevention, alongside organic and refill options, and initial “Verpieter-me-niet” (food waste prevention) trials showed positive sales results.

The recommended overarching strategy is a “zoom-out pivot,” where Pieter Pot’s current packaging-free offering becomes a core feature within a broader, more comprehensive sustainability mission. The project focused on the food waste prevention proposition as a key brand extension within this broader strategy, aligning with Pieter Pot’s anti-waste mission and leveraging existing strengths. A brand extension fit analysis, using Deng & Messinger’s (2022) six dimensions, guided its integration.

The primary deliverable is a Strategic Brand Extension Guide. This guide provides Pieter Pot with directly applicable strategies to successfully develop, position, and communicate the new food waste prevention proposition as a component of its expanded sustainability focus. The guide specifically focuses on how the food waste prevention proposition can be clearly presented for customer understanding and how customers can be persuaded of its unique value, ensuring effective integration. This targeted approach, detailed within the guide, aims to broaden Pieter Pot’s appeal, increase order frequency and value, and build a resilient, profitable enterprise through the successful implementation of the food waste prevention brand extension, supported by a strengthened core offering and relevant line extensions.

In addition to the final design and proposed strategy, the report also includes chapters on implementation, relevant considerations, and recommendations. These sections outline how the new direction can be embedded within Pieter Pot’s operations, highlight practical and strategic factors that influence success, and propose future actions to further strengthen the proposition.

Together, these outcomes demonstrate how Pieter Pot can leverage its existing strengths and audience to evolve from a packaging-free supermarket into a broader sustainability platform, enabling continued relevance, growth, and long-term scalability.

Generative AI is rapidly transforming the retail industry, revolutionizing both the way consumers shop and how businesses operate. To remain competitive, major retailers like Albert Heijn must embrace and experiment with this emerging technology. While Generative AI is already gaining traction in enhancing online shopping, its potential for in-store applications remains largely untapped. As the future of retail increasingly shifts toward an omnichannel experience, and with Albert Heijn’s customers still primarily shopping in-store, the technology presents both new opportunities and heightened importance.

This thesis, in collaboration with Albert Heijn, explores how Generative AI can be leveraged to enhance the in-store customer experience through mobile technology. Specifically, it introduces a practical, AI-driven solution: the shelf label scanner. The foundation of this concept is grounded in comprehensive research. Identifying and understanding genuine customer frustrations were crucial in developing an effective technological solution. Through a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods, five key in-store frustrations were identified: (1) difficulty locating products, (2) stress caused by product unavailability, (3) crowded aisles and long waiting times, (4) choice overload, and (5) the need for additional information and assistance with bonus products.
For this graduation project, particular attention was paid to the frustration of encountering an empty shelf, a problem that significantly impacts both the customer experience and the retailer. To design a solution that addresses this challenge, further research was conducted, recognizing that customer behavior and needs in these situations can vary widely. A survey with 400 respondents, employing an experimental design with four distinct scenarios, provided valuable insights. The results revealed how customers perceive and react to product unavailability, with findings showing that both the context and type of product strongly influence the support needed when faced with an empty shelf.

These insights were then translated into a solution. Through four design steps, including testing with real Albert Heijn customers, the final solution was developed. Integrated into the Albert Heijn app, this feature empowers customers to easily navigate out-of-stock situations. By simply scanning the shelf label, customers receive instant assistance, including information about when the product will be back in stock, alternative product suggestions available in the store and real-time inventory data from other Albert Heijn locations. This feature is designed to improve the in-store shopping experience by providing customers with timely, relevant information and helping them make informed decisions when confronted with an empty shelf.
In addition to the final user interface design, communication materials have been developed to effectively introduce this feature to customers. Lastly, the report outlines key implementation steps for a smooth and gradual rollout, along with several recommendations. These include an analysis of the shelf label scanner’s potential and an exploration of further opportunities to leverage Generative AI in addressing customer challenges within the company.

The environmental impact of the transport sector, particularly aviation and road transport, is a growing concern. The European Green Deal aims to reduce GHG emissions from transport by 90% by 2050, but decarbonizing the sector remains a challenge. Despite the need for more sustainable travel behaviour, encouraging this shift remains difficult, and GHG emissions from unsustainable travel behaviour continue to rise. Multimodal digital mobility services have the potential to improve the environmental performance of transport, but their success depends on a systemic shift towards a stable, innovative and collaborative European transport network.

This project, conducted within the Seamless Personal Mobility Lab and part of Task Team 1.6 of the TULIPS consortium, focuses on the development of a multimodal TRIP platform for passengers. In collaboration with SINTEF, the project aims to create a multifaceted design strategy that encourages sustainable travel behaviour and systemic change in the European passenger transport network.

Through extensive research, including literature reviews, market analysis, and expert interviews, key insights into designing for behavioural change were gained. Multiple design sprints and co-creation sessions resulted in four platform strategies that were quantitatively tested. The quantitative study provided a foundation for some final iterations and was synthesized into a final platform strategy.

The platform addresses motivational and capability barriers to sustainable travel by using choice architecture to nudge travelers toward sustainable options, inform them about their climate impact, and make sustainable choices salient, appealing, and feasible, allowing travelers to stop and rethink their habitual choices.

Additionally, a design roadmap has been created which envisions a transport shift towards a 2050 mobility scenario of seamless and sustainabale international travel, supported by stakeholder collaboration and digital- and physical infrastructure improvements.
In addition, a design roadmap was created that envisions a transportation transformation to a 2050 mobility scenario of seamless and sustainable international travel, supported by stakeholder collaboration and digital and physical infrastructure improvements.