BEES: a business-to-business e-commerce platform built to empower small and medium-sized retail partners and help grow their businesses. It mainly caters to CPG (Consumer Product Goods), such as beverages, packaged food, etc.
POC: Point of Consumption, a.k.a. Point of Sales or Point of Purchase
📝 The context
BEES offers a comprehensive end-to-end solution through its applications for e-commerce sales, sales force management, customer support, and logistics fulfillment.
The BEES app is designed for customers—specifically, individuals at Points of Consumption (POCs) responsible for restocking inventory at restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and similar businesses.
All POCs have available 2 regular delivery dates per week, that is, fixed days within the week when they can receive their delivery at no extra cost. For deliveries outside of those days, clients must opt for flex delivery, available for a fee or for no extra cost if the order reaches a minimum order value (MOV).
With new distributors joining BEES, customers' expectations and experiences with delivery dates vary. Segments, markets, and the platforms where POCs purchase influence the types of delivery dates they are open to.
🎯 The Challenge
Delivery timing was the top customer complaint in BEES’ delivery NPS data. POCs had low awareness of flexible delivery options and struggled with costly fees, reschedules, and planning mismatches.
BEES needed to:
Understand user preferences by segment
Gauge interest and clarity around Flex delivery
Test a prototype to increase awareness of Flex delivery and MOV (minimum order value)
⭐ Executive summary
This research aimed to identify delivery options and preferences among POCs and understand how different segments and markets impact these experiences. Fieldwork conducted in July 2024 involved 12 participants from convenience stores, bakeries, bars, and pharmacies in Brasília (DF) and São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
Methods included a mix of usability tests, contextual inquiry, and user observations, focusing on discoverability, understandability, and desirability metrics.
💡
Takeaways
Key findings indicated low discoverability (11%) and moderate understandability (55%) of the evaluated prototype. In general, participants prefer regular delivery dates due to the high fees and minimum order value of Flex delivery. Delivery timing impacts varied by segment, with bars and bakeries facing higher operational disruptions compared to pharmacies and convenience stores.
Participants showed high desirability (79%) for delivery notifications but low interest (4%) in real-time tracking. The study highlights a need for improved communication and flexible delivery options, though cost and planning constraints significantly influence POCs' preferences and behaviors.
🧪 Methodology
12 usability sessions across 4 segments
Contextual inquiry and in-store observations
Prototype testing of MOV (minimum order value) messaging
Competitive benchmarking (B2B & B2C apps)
Participants sample
POC 1
POC 2
POC 3
POC 4
POC 5
POC 6
Bar
Bar
Bar
Pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy
São Paulo, SP 🇧🇷
São Paulo, SP 🇧🇷
São Paulo, SP 🇧🇷
São Paulo, SP 🇧🇷
São Paulo, SP 🇧🇷
São Paulo, SP 🇧🇷
POC 7
POC 8
POC 9
POC 10
POC 11
POC 12
Bakery
Bakery
Bakery
Convenience
Convenience
Convenience
Brasília, DF 🇧🇷
Brasília, DF 🇧🇷
Brasília, DF 🇧🇷
Brasília, DF 🇧🇷
Brasília, DF 🇧🇷
Brasília, DF 🇧🇷
💡 Key Findings
🧭 Discoverability & Understanding
Only 11% noticed the MOV message without help → low discoverability
55% understood they could earn free Flex delivery with a higher order
Users didn’t know the term “Flex” and often misunderstood it
🛍️ Preferences & Barriers
79% wanted notifications about their orders, especially via WhatsApp
Only 4% cared about real-time tracking
Flex fees were seen as too expensive, especially for small businesses
⚙️ Operational Realities
Segment differences mattered:
Pharmacies had low planning constraints
Bakeries needed predictability due to early prep
Convenience stores lacked staff flexibility to receive deliveries anytime
✅ Recommendations
Improve visibility of Flex benefits earlier in the flow
Remove or rethink “Flex” terminology — users don’t relate to it
Enable delivery notifications where customers actually are (e.g., WhatsApp)
Account for segment-specific needs: bakery ≠ pharma ≠ convenience
🙋🏻♀️ My Role
Co-led research planning, recruitment, and sessions
Ran usability and contextual interviews onsite
Synthesized findings and mapped out behavioral insights
Delivered presentation and strategic hypotheses to Marketplace team
