Designing a scalable model for business outlets

Schibsted’s Tori.fi is the leading C2C marketplace, and it is also recognised by Sitra as one of Finland’s most important circular economy companies. B2C e-commerce is booming, and contemporary society is overconsuming consumer products at a pace that is not sustainable. As the leading C2C marketplace with 3,4 million active users, Schibsted´s Tori.fi has a great opportunity to help businesses market and sell their outlet products. These types of outlet products, e.g. returned items are endangered to be discarded or destroyed. Schibsted and Verona Growth collaborated to design a scalable model for business outlets for Tori.fi.

What Verona Growth did: Verona Growth interviewed +20 companies and Tori users about their needs and preferences regarding a B2C e-commerce platform. Then, by using service design methods, we created a tangible concept draft based on the gathered feedback and findings. Finally, we validated the concept with +10 potential clients to develop the final concept with recommendations and a roadmap for the future.

Results: The majority of the interviewed potential clients thought the concept was exciting and wanted to hear more about it and continue discussions later. As a result, we engaged a new pilot partner, Gigantti, for Schibsted and found many potential sales leads. Schibsted will continue discussions with the identified potential partners.

Bringing a new reusable product to the market

The consumption of single-use packaging is constantly growing. Finnish startup Kamupak already had a deposit system for reusable takeaway lunch boxes. Their system was extended to coffee cups and piloted in several coffee shops in Helsinki. The ministry of environment partly funded the pilot. 

Verona Growth’s circular economy LOOP team led the project to pilot reusable coffee cups in several cafes simultaneously. We found and engaged the partners and helped Kamupak to apply for funding for the pilot. After the pilot was launched, we coordinated marketing,  communication and cooperation between the pilot locations and Kamupak. 

Fifteen locations attended the pilot, including Palmia, UniCafe, Vihreä Vuohi and Paulig Kulma. Kamupak decided to continue offering KamuCups after the pilot based on the feedback, data and general interest. 

We were excited to work with Kamupak, one of the shortlisted companies in Sitra’s list of circular economy pioneers, to accelerate the use of circular packaging solutions.

Reduction of plastic use in housing development

To understand how the use of plastics can be optimized in the construction industry, a holistic approach from different parties in the value chain is needed. This is why Premico, Lujatalo, Ara, Municipality Finland and the Ministry of Environment wanted to find out what the current status of plastic use is in residential construction and identify the opportunities for the circularity of plastics. The focus was on the reduction of plastics use at construction sites.

Verona Growth interviewed experts and gathered learnings and data about the current situation, needs, opportunities and concrete tools already existing in the construction industry. Data was also collected from a pilot site, Metsäkissa in Vantaa, to increase understanding from the current situation. Valuable data was gathered for example about sorting rate, recycling rate, costs and separately collected plastic types.

Based on the collected data Verona Growth created concrete ideas to reduce, refuse, recycle and replace plastics in housing development. We also made suggestions for all parties – client, main contractor and financier – on how to promote low-plastic thinking in the future. These learnings are concluded in the final report, which is available for download here.

Piloting a new business model

Changing seasons are a hassle for the parents. As a leading children outerwear company, Reima saw the opportunity in making their customer’s lives easier by testing a product as-a-service business model. Verona Growth helped Reima in getting the pilot on the market in just 8 weeks. Agile way of working continued on a weekly basis for a year as the service was being scaled up. High interest in the service exceeded expectations. Lean startup methodology brought lot of learnings and a year after the pilot, the new service model called ReimaKit was launched and is now part of Reima’s business.

Piloting a new subscription model with partners

“Arkipakkaus“ was formed together with Kesko, Unilever Finland, Metsä Tissue, Encore Ympäristöpalvelut, Enexus and Orthex. Arkipakkaus was a pilot for monthly subscription model to buy everyday necessities such as toilet paper and detergents. The model included delivery of the products and take-out for the plastic waste.