Twilio Case Studies Phenix's Battle Against Food Waste with Twilio

	Phenix's Battle Against Food Waste with Twilio Twilio

Phenix's Battle Against Food Waste with Twilio

Twilio

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics Networks & Connectivity - 5G
Applicable Industries	Food & Beverage Retail
Applicable Functions	Procurement
Use Cases	Predictive Waste Reduction Retail Store Automation
Services	System Integration
Challenge	Phenix, a France-based startup, is on a mission to reduce food waste by connecting retailers with unsold food to customers who value sustainability and a good bargain. The company has served over 50 million meals that would have otherwise been discarded to over 400,000 customers. However, the process is time-sensitive with many moving parts that need to work together; otherwise, the products will be unusable. Sellers post a general description of each day’s offering, including price, number of baskets in stock, and available pickup window. Retailers might only have a few baskets available, and the pick-up windows can be short. Customers can set alerts so they know immediately when a type of food they want or a specific shop they like has posted an offer. The challenge was to ensure real-time communication between the sellers and the customers. Read More
About Customer	Phenix is a France-based startup that is committed to reducing food waste. They enable retailers with unsold food to connect with customers who appreciate sustainability and a good bargain. The company has served over 50 million meals that would have otherwise been discarded to over 400,000 customers. Their customers include restaurants, grocers, bakeries, caterers, hotels, and other retailers who can bundle unsold food at a heavy discount in a themed “basket” of produce, pastries, fully cooked meals, or other items nearing their expiration date. The merchants post what’s available that day, and customers can immediately see what’s for sale near them. Then, via the Phenix app, they simply reserve, pay, and alert the store that they’re on their way for pickup. Read More
Solution	Phenix uses Twilio Programmable SMS and Twilio SendGrid Email API to run tens of thousands of daily interactions. Product updates from stores, basket availability alerts, and two-way communication regarding product purchases, cancellations, and pickups are sent to the store and customer via SMS. The store will also receive an SMS if an order has been cancelled, releasing that customer’s basket immediately for purchase by someone else. Using Programmable SMS empowered the team at Phenix to launch a mobile app in a fast and cost efficient way. Twilio’s system handles the complexity of global regulation governing text marketing, freeing the developers to concentrate on building and scaling the complex product for each country’s unique market. Transactional email messages go out in real-time using Twilio SendGrid’s Email API. Order confirmations and pickup notifications are sent from the store to the customer once the customer has initiated a purchase through the app. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Networks & Connectivity - 5G

Applicable Industries

Food & Beverage

Retail

Applicable Functions

Procurement

Use Cases

Predictive Waste Reduction

Retail Store Automation

Services

System Integration

Challenge

Phenix, a France-based startup, is on a mission to reduce food waste by connecting retailers with unsold food to customers who value sustainability and a good bargain. The company has served over 50 million meals that would have otherwise been discarded to over 400,000 customers. However, the process is time-sensitive with many moving parts that need to work together; otherwise, the products will be unusable. Sellers post a general description of each day’s offering, including price, number of baskets in stock, and available pickup window. Retailers might only have a few baskets available, and the pick-up windows can be short. Customers can set alerts so they know immediately when a type of food they want or a specific shop they like has posted an offer. The challenge was to ensure real-time communication between the sellers and the customers.

About Customer

Phenix is a France-based startup that is committed to reducing food waste. They enable retailers with unsold food to connect with customers who appreciate sustainability and a good bargain. The company has served over 50 million meals that would have otherwise been discarded to over 400,000 customers. Their customers include restaurants, grocers, bakeries, caterers, hotels, and other retailers who can bundle unsold food at a heavy discount in a themed “basket” of produce, pastries, fully cooked meals, or other items nearing their expiration date. The merchants post what’s available that day, and customers can immediately see what’s for sale near them. Then, via the Phenix app, they simply reserve, pay, and alert the store that they’re on their way for pickup.

Solution

Phenix uses Twilio Programmable SMS and Twilio SendGrid Email API to run tens of thousands of daily interactions. Product updates from stores, basket availability alerts, and two-way communication regarding product purchases, cancellations, and pickups are sent to the store and customer via SMS. The store will also receive an SMS if an order has been cancelled, releasing that customer’s basket immediately for purchase by someone else. Using Programmable SMS empowered the team at Phenix to launch a mobile app in a fast and cost efficient way. Twilio’s system handles the complexity of global regulation governing text marketing, freeing the developers to concentrate on building and scaling the complex product for each country’s unique market. Transactional email messages go out in real-time using Twilio SendGrid’s Email API. Order confirmations and pickup notifications are sent from the store to the customer once the customer has initiated a purchase through the app.

Impact #1	The implementation of Twilio's Programmable SMS and SendGrid Email API has significantly improved Phenix's operations. Real-time messaging with reliable deliverability has been achieved, enabling tens of thousands of daily interactions between stores and customers. This has streamlined the process of posting product updates, sending basket availability alerts, and facilitating two-way communication regarding product purchases, cancellations, and pickups. The system has also allowed Phenix to handle the complexity of global regulation governing text marketing, freeing the developers to concentrate on building and scaling the complex product for each country’s unique market. Furthermore, the use of SendGrid's Email API has enabled real-time transactional email messages, improving the efficiency of order confirmations and pickup notifications.

Impact #1

The implementation of Twilio's Programmable SMS and SendGrid Email API has significantly improved Phenix's operations. Real-time messaging with reliable deliverability has been achieved, enabling tens of thousands of daily interactions between stores and customers. This has streamlined the process of posting product updates, sending basket availability alerts, and facilitating two-way communication regarding product purchases, cancellations, and pickups. The system has also allowed Phenix to handle the complexity of global regulation governing text marketing, freeing the developers to concentrate on building and scaling the complex product for each country’s unique market. Furthermore, the use of SendGrid's Email API has enabled real-time transactional email messages, improving the efficiency of order confirmations and pickup notifications.

Benefit #1	Over 50 million meals served that would have otherwise been discarded
Benefit #2	Over 400,000 customers served
Benefit #3	70,000 text messages sent per month

Benefit #1

Over 50 million meals served that would have otherwise been discarded

Benefit #2

Over 400,000 customers served

Benefit #3

70,000 text messages sent per month

Download PDF Version

Overview

Phenix's Battle Against Food Waste with Twilio

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit