Ancient Market Place has recently undergone a major refurbishment. The market focuses on supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and enterprise, encouraging new creative ideas whilst maintaining a high quality local food offer. This was recognised as the Market Place was the winner of the Great British High Street Award London Category.
This trial will focus on the development of an urban, hyper-local delivery of perishable produce using sustainable transport. Using innovative technological platforms to allow e-commerce transactions for the Ancient Market. Feedback from the traders highlighted the trial would allow them to extend their reach throughout the trading day and assist with pre-orders as the platforms help them predict stock levels effectively and reduce wastage in accordance. The prototype system will allow traders to set up limited time ‘special’ deals, e.g. today only, which will be communicated to registered users for purchase and delivered via sustainable transport.

What we'll deliver:

• Deploy a state of the art e-commerce system to provide an effective interface for public to order produce.
• Investigate the feasibility of founding a social enterprise, including University and Municipal stakeholders
• Complete an early build of a simple prototype system to allow small scale trials with a sample of volunteer users.
• Generate a business plan that establishes the basis on which the initiative could be a viable commercial activity
• Work with Market traders to create designs for simple ‘one-touch’ processes to create and publish offers

Why it's a great idea:

Urban environments enjoy two important economies of scale: many people in close proximity have similar needs, and fresh produce is invariably in plentiful supply (and often over-supply). Town markets have, historically, linked up this supply with the corresponding demand: this project extends their reach using a carbon-neutral distribution method, to include the many households within cycling range. This is a great idea for several reasons:
• Increases availability of fresh market produce, which is a beneficial for public health: particularly for groups such as the elderly or incapacitated.
• Potential to reduce the amount of food waste, by creating an efficient means of distribution: this is a positive environmental outcome.
• Uses a sustainable transport choice.
• Expands local enterprises by extending their reach: this provides local employment opportunities.
• Future potential to evolve the platform to support small and independent businesses that also trade in fresh produce.

Steps to get it done:

• A social enterprise will be formed, that will take responsibility of the trial and ownership of the assets
• Kingston University will contribute expertise to build the required IT systems to deliver a prototype system
• Kingstonfirst will co-ordinate focus groups of traders and public, to provide feedback and prioritization of user needs