Idea IS the format

A few months ago I posted about a start-up called Graze an old friend of mine is currently involved in.  I wasn’t completely clear on their business model at the time, but I’ve been catching up with Tommy as often as possible since then and he’s always taken a little time to bring me up to speed on how its coming along.

The essence of Graze is that they deliver a range of boxes of fresh fruit, nuts and other squirrel-friendly produce through the mail.  It may sound strange, but when you factor in that Tommy’s working with Graham Bosher, founder of DVD postal delivery service LOVEFiLM, it starts to make a bit more sense.

There’s plenty more about the how and why of the service itself on the website which, on the strength of a couple of visits, seems every bit as fresh and nutritious as I’d expect their product to be.  Its intuitively structured, and the first couple of user-journeys I’ve had have flowed perfectly.  Tommy knows better than anybody what a pedant I can be when it comes to usability (he would use a ruder word than ‘pedant’) so that should be music to his ears.

I was pleased to find that the sign-up process only asked me for essential information, broken up into manageable portions.  Unusually, the third most important piece of information they asked for, after email and password, was whether I have a nut allergy.  I don’t, but it was nice to know they’ve got my back.

They’re launching by sending promo codes out to everybody who signed up to the mailing list while the site was under development.  This doesn’t only reward early interest but also enables Graze to scale up their operation in a controlled way, by sending out codes in measured bursts, ensuring that they’re capable of fulfilling demand as their customer base gradually expands.

I was talking to Tommy about this the last time we caught up.  Each person who signs up will expect to receive fresh food on time every time.  When they do, they’ll give Graze no real credit for this, because it’s what they’re paying for.  But, postal strikes notwithstanding, each time a box doesn’t turn up, or turns up anything less than delectable and utterly digestible, customer relations will be quickly eroded.  One of the biggest challenges facing Graze will be to manage this process, and to ensure that people are compensated where appropriate, without being taken for a ride.

Speaking of which, I’ve been busting Tommy’s seedless grapes all afternoon to give me a good promo code to offer friends of Idea is the format, and he’s given me this – 2N46BDN.  It’s an early bird discount, and it gets the first thousand people who use it one free box, and a second at half price. You’ll have to provide payment details as part of the sign-up process, but you can cancel at any time.  Just to be clear, there’s no kickback for me here.  It’s not a referral thing. I just asked for something halfway decent to give away, and they gave me this.

For my part, I’ve waived the kind offer of a promo code for the chance to find out straight away whether I think I’m getting my money’s worth.  My first box is due to arrive on Thursday, so I guess I’ll make my first ‘unboxing’ video, eat some fruit and nuts, then post my thoughts on what I make of the product, the business, and their chances of success up against what’s starting to look like one of the most hostile economic climates for decades.

Tags: graze

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