Case Study
How we helped Tenambit Butchery modify their business model during COVID-19
There is no doubt that the pandemic COVID-19, or Coronavirus, has been an especially gut-wrenching, difficult and challenging time for many businesses. Many have closed, or been forced to close by the restrictions, and countless Australian's have been put out of work due to the virus' devastating effects on our community. We have all had to adjust our daily lives, and #stayhome to ensure we are #socialdistancing and #selfisolating to hopefully control the spread of this virus. Of course, this has made it hard for everyone to do basic things - everyday things, like grab groceries, grab a loaf of bread and some milk, or even get our weekly meat from our butcher.
One local supplier Tenambit Butchery has taken the initiative and adapted its business model to face these challenges head-on.
When Coronavirus first reared its head and made a real statement here in Australia, our community was in a state of shock. Facing new restrictions on movement, terrified of catching it, and fears that we would be "locked down", the community was, dare I say it, panicking. People were panic buying and "stockpiling" everything from toilet paper to flour, rice, handtowels, sanitizer and meat.
The Problem
Faced with an enormous influx of buyers in the shop wanting to stockpile meat and queries online and via phone, Rod and Tanya Unicomb, owners of Tenambit Butchery decided it was time for a change. Concerned about the welfare and safety of their staff and their customers, they decided to offer their customers a service where they had the option of ordering online and asking for delivery to their door or customer pick-up.
The Solution
We have been working with Tenambit Butchery since 2019 so they gave us a call to see how we could adapt their business model and offer online ordering. Offering a solution to their problem was easy. They currently did not have a website, so, we built them a purpose-made site for customers to view their products and place an order.
The Challenge
Because in a butcher shop, the majority of products are sold by weight, not by unit, we could not offer them a traditional "add to cart" option like in a standard online shop. We had to come up with a way to have all the products listed online, and an order form that was easy to fill in and submit to the shop. We devised a structure so that customers could browse the available products while filling in their order form and noting each individual product and the quantities they required. This form was seamlessly integrated to the back end, sending an email to Tenambit Butchery once an order was requested.
As mentioned, because their products are sold by weight, not by quantity, we could not add a "pay online" option as the weight of each product varies significantly, and Tenambit Butchery was conscious of this and didn't want customers paying for product weights they may not be getting. For example, one piece of rump steak may weigh 80g while another may weigh 250g. So again, we came up with a "pay offline" option, where once the order was received, weighed and packed, Tenambit Butchery would phone the customer to redeem payment and schedule their delivery if requested.
How has it been received?
It has been up and running for a week now, and the order system is working really well. The take-up by customers has been substantial, with everyone who has used the system reporting how easy it is to use and how much it has changed the way they shop for meat.
The team at Tenambit Butchery are thrilled. It has helped reduce the number of people in the shop at any given time ensuring the safety and health of all the team members, it has definitely reduced the panic buying, and given their very valued customers a safe avenue to shop from home and have their meat delivered to their door - never having to leave their home if they choose not to.
The wrap-up
We are so very pleased to be able to help another business reach their customers in a way that is innovative and proactive, knowing that this new business model can last for these challenging times and beyond, creating a whole new avenue for customers to access good quality produce well into the future.