The project also at aims improving skills and motivation for innovation processes across the value chain and different actors.
Main objective
- Increased turnover of Norwegian seafood in the Nordics
- Increased knowledge about open innovation processes and tools
- Development of new concept for the fish counter
The project has led to increased turnover in all the involved stores. The highest change came in the store that was willing to adapt to the complete new concept for the fish counter.
The retail chains have been involved in the development process from day one. We have been working according to the principles of open innovation – and it has opened many eyes for new ways to cooperate.
We have presented and tested a new concept for the future fish counter based on inputs from the understanding phase and the open innovation process. The counter, the communication and the products are all developed to meet revealed consumer preferences and trends as well as the business models of the retailers and suppliers.
Method/implementation
In the understanding phase we have been looking at mega trends and translated them into possible future consumer and shopper preferences. We have not done any new consumer research, but worked on existing knowledge and how future trends may influence already known consumer and shopper behavior.
In the innovation phase we have been working in groups using open innovation tools like visualization and storytelling. We have also been using the business model canvas to get a better understanding of the involved business models.
In the concept development we used industrial designers to translate the ideas from the innovation phase into feasible counter concepts covering communication and product categories. These were taken further into product development focusing on bringing the overall concept into products and packaging.
Concrete results and conclusions:
The project has been the first in its kind in bringing the retailers and a seafood supplier into a common open innovation process and we think this in itself is a very important result. All parties have given excellent feedback both on the positive side and on areas of future improvement.
In addition we are very proud to have launched the first version of the future fish counter and that we have experienced immediately as well as steady growth of seafood turnover in the selected store.
By focusing on the business models this project has also contributed to an even better understanding of the different players in the value chain. This has resulted in concrete activities to improve the value chain both creating higher consumer quality and better economical results in all part of the chain.
All the participants have given us great feedback on the Nordic perspective in the project. The Nordic markets are different, but the learnings points between the markets are many. We have exchanged products and communication solutions across markets and learned from each other’s successes and failures.
Recommendations
The Future Fish counter project hope to see more of these open innovation projects in the seafood industry. We now know that the retailers are ready for it and that they appreciate being a more active part in development processes. Our recommendations for future projects are as follows:
- Management commitment is important and make sure to involve them in the progress of the project
- Involve the store management and the involved people in the piloting stores at an early stage – their inputs and commitment are crucial for success
- Make sure that the piloting is done stepwise focusing on different aspects at the time – then you get an unique change to immediately feedback on what is working and what is not.
Project owner
Anne Hilde Midttveit
Lerøy Seafood group ASA, NO
Project leader
Kristianne Storehaug
Econ Pöyry AS, NO
Sub-project leaders
Nina Knudsen
Lerøy Seafood group ASA, NO
Gunn Sekse
Lerøy Seafood group ASA, NO
Juho Niemelä
Lerøy Seafood group ASA, FI
Niclas Ensäter
Lerøy Sverige ASA, SE
Project members
Nicolai Thorstensen,
Christian Askvik
Lerøy Seafood group ASA, NO
Jüssi Nässi
Lerøy Seafood group ASA, FI
Nancy Nguyen
COOP Norge AS, NO
Lena Hansen,
Magnus Holm
COOP marknad AB, SE
Tina Lunnelie,
Jørgen Lind,
Peter Axelsson
Lerøy Sverige AB, SE
Søren Bo Christensen,
Anders Qvotorp
Dansk supermarked-kjede, DK
Ville Vahla
SOK, FI