A new anti-food waste app has been launched to enable convenience stores to shift surplus food and drink.
The Rezo app allows retailers to alert local shoppers of in-store price reductions via a real-time photo feed.
Founder Luke McPherson said the app worked like an advertising tool to make consumers aware of what was available in stores.
To list surplus stock, retailers upload a photo of their reduced section, with optional captions for those who want to add extra detail or engage with customers, McPherson added.
They can post pictures of individual items and delete them as they are sold, or upload a single image of the entire markdown section.
Shoppers cannot reserve or purchase items through the app directly. Instead, the platform acts as a notification-based system, meaning users must travel to the store to secure the reduced stock before it sells out.
Through the photo feed, customers can also see what is available, unlike mystery bags from Too Good To Go, McPherson added.
He said this would help consumers find items that were appropriate for their individual preferences and intolerances.
“Customers may end up throwing away items bought from Too Good To Go, which means waste is just moving from stores to customers,” said McPherson. “This is something environmentally savvy people do not like. With Rezo, customers can just buy the reduced food they know they will eat and leave the other items for other customers to buy.”
Rezo is currently running a trial with a One Stop store in Salford, which is currently transitioning from Go Local. The partnership launched in May, with another six weeks left in the trial.
McPherson said he was planning to attend more networking events so he could reach more retailers.
He said that the app had been designed to create a mapping system showing retailers posting on Rezo in the area, allowing users to select stores and view their posts.
Participating stores have QR codes positioned near their reduced items for shoppers to scan and download the app.
Rezo is currently free for retailers and shoppers. McPherson said revenue would come from showing adverts to shoppers on the app, rather than charging retailers a fee. He added that he eventually planned to sell advertising space to the retailers that use Rezo as well, allowing them to feature targeted marketing campaigns for customer retention and acquisition.
“Our free service is a simpler and cheaper way for stores to sell more of their product, and customers get the reduced items they want and need,” said McPherson. “The cost of living crisis means people are looking to save money on their shops. So if customers were using Rezo, it can help them to do that better.”
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