Apr 23, 2024
Bolt’s mission is to make cities for people, not cars.
We started with ride-hailing to make getting around easier. But over time, we’ve realised that to improve city living, we had to offer our users more services.
That’s why we launched Bolt Market, an online store inside the Bolt Food app.
On-demand access to fresh, quality groceries benefits everyone — whether you have a busy schedule, mobility limitations, or are just seeking convenience.
But when discussing food and groceries, there’s a serious issue that can’t be ignored — food waste.
You’ve probably come across many statistics about food waste, but here’s one of the most disturbing:
Roughly 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted yearly — enough to feed 3 billion people.
Interestingly, when you search “reduce food waste” online, the results primarily target individuals.
While each of us can contribute to reducing food waste, businesses and organisations have an even greater responsibility.
At Bolt, we recognise the importance of addressing food waste and know there’s a long journey ahead.
In this article, we discuss Bolt Market’s ‘Save me’ category and its impact on reducing food waste.
Special thanks to Jan Plaan, Bolt Market’s Country Manager for Estonia, for sharing valuable insights.
Bolt Market is an on-demand online store that offers thousands of grocery items. However, searching through so many products can be challenging.
To improve the shopping experience, we’ve created special categories like ‘Snacks,’ ‘Pantry,’ and more to help users easily find their desired products.
‘♻️ Save me’ is one of these categories offering groceries nearing their expiration or best-before date at a 40% discount.
‘Save me’ category selection
This category includes a diverse range of products, from fresh produce to ready meals and pantry staples.
An inventory management system is crucial for any retail business, and Bolt Market is no exception. It helps us in various ways, including the ‘Save me’ category.
The system notifies us when each product’s expiration or best-before date approaches. After this, packaged goods like pasta, rice, or coffee automatically move to the ‘Save me’ category.
However, for those requiring extra attention, such as produce or bakery goods, our team personally checks their freshness and safety for consumption.
The ‘Save me’ category has 3 main goals:
We’re not here to sugarcoat the obvious — unsold items not only increase waste but also our costs.
By selling products nearing their expiration or best-before date at discounted prices, we can offer our users great deals on their favourite groceries, while minimising our inefficiencies.
Our cost-efficient approach aligns with our commitment to sustainable food handling.
At Bolt, reducing our micromobility and ride-hailing footprint is a commitment we take seriously, with tangible goals in place.
The ‘Save me’ category will help us support and expand this cause even further.
Food waste affects everyone, and as a business operating in the food sector, it’s our responsibility to address it.
The ‘Save me’ category allows us to prevent perfectly good food from being wasted by offering it to customers at reduced prices.
This brings us to our last point. At Bolt Market, we always aim to provide customers with the best possible experience — whether it’s the selection, quality, or fast delivery.
With the ‘Save me’ category, customers can enjoy significant savings while receiving quality products.
Our goals aren’t just abstract aspirations.
In 2023, Bolt Market users using the ‘Save me’ category prevented 80 tonnes of food from being wasted (as heavy as 13 elephants! 🐘).
Less food waste means:
But it’s not just about environmental benefits; there are social advantages too.
We add new items to the ‘Save me’ category daily, making quality food accessible while providing financial savings to individuals and families.
We also have other initiatives, such as donating unsold products to food banks in Estonia (Fudloop and Toidupank) to help those in need.
When customers shop in the’ Save me’ category, it’s not just about getting a good deal.
Another crucial aspect is the safety of groceries for consumption — both when ordered and upon receipt.
With Bolt Market, you receive your orders in 30 minutes, ensuring that perishable items remain safe for consumption.
There’s still a long journey ahead, but the popularity and positive impact of the ‘Save me’ category inspire us to persist in our fight against food waste.
We’re actively exploring new ideas to improve the accuracy of our supply needs, like using weather data to predict customer demand.
With more accurate data, we can adjust our stock levels accordingly and reduce the number of products that end up in the ‘Save me’ category or, in the worst-case scenario as food waste.
At the same time, we’re constantly reviewing every part of our process at Bolt Market to identify areas for improvement — such as reducing packaging or transitioning to 100% renewable electricity in Bolt Market premises by 2025.
We’ll hopefully publish success stories about these initiatives very soon! 🤞
