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Berlin - Startup hub
It has never occurred to me that a city covered with traces of war can be the hub for so many startups.
We visited
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Babbel: The language learning app
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HelloFresh: Meal-kit company
Insights on marketing
Babbel was the first language app in the market that provides programs to users to learn a language at their own pace.
They created the market of "learning a language". However, it is not always an advantage to make the first move in the market.
Three megatrends tap into the learning app market
Personalised technology, self-improvement and globalisation.
Babbel was marketing their app to users as speaking the language you're always wanted to.
In terms of business operation, Babbel is more focusing on getting retention, keeping customers and products, less on getting new customers.
They believe that if the product is good enough, it will speak for itself so that the customers will come to them organically.
Insights on customers
English speaking countries have two peaks responds, and it is the motivation to learn.
One is the interest ( self-motivated) the other one is the need to communicate due to travel and work requirements.
And the app provides people with the convenience to learn at their own pace and learning on-the-go.
HelloFresh is a startup I am particularly excited about, think that the whole concept is brilliant. The veggie box allows you to cook at home, and everything was measured up in perfect portioned. As long as you follow the steps, you are going to replicate the flavour. In a way, it gives people confidence in cooking. The ingredients are all unprocessed, preserved the freshness and nutrition.
Aim of the business
The objective is to make cooking fun again. Research finds that many people lost interest in cooking. Also, people tend not to want to think about what to eat for dinner. They call it the dinner anxiety.
Challenge
The main challenge for the boxed ingredients is of keeping the freshness. Some of the boxes were delivered during the daytime, and people might be at work, cannot get to their deliveries so that the packaging needs to keep the ingredients fresh for a couple of hours.
They tested many materials, and eventually decided on using wool for wrapping the products. Although they also worried about the environmentally friendly aspect of this decision, trying to find alternative materials.
Insights on customers
The market research shows that people only find time to do the things they are interested in. So if people do not find cooking exciting, they will always have no time to cook.
Getting people to be excited about cooking is the key.
What they've found?
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Empathy, get into customers shoes and trust consumers.
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Use influencers
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Use seasonal ingredients ( customers love the freshness perception it created)
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Not celebrity chefs. The problem with that is they are not flexible with the ingredients. The point is to get people to fall in love with cooking again, and it has to be simple steps and easy to use ingredients.
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