Value Co-Creation in a Zero-Waste Bulk Shop:

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the potential of value co-creation in the self-service food retail business, which has been suggested to be low in exploratory research at Zero-waste bulk shops. This suggests the need for a new model for the food retail business beyond traditional norms in Japan. In this study, we conducted exploratory research on the value co-creation process of a Zero-Waste bulk shop from the viewpoint of service-dominant logic. Through field research and user interviews, the study revealed the opportunity of value co-creation based on customers’ characteristic purchase behaviors, such as ‘prepare to visit stores’ and ‘measure an amount,’ which have not been seen in traditional self-service retail businesses to date. The results of analysis using M-GTA to clarify the customers’ value proposition revealed three important factors: ‘values regarding contribution to society’, ‘values regarding self-influence’ and ‘values regarding an ideal lifestyle,’ based on the premise that customers comprehend the background information or context of Zero-waste bulk shops without intervention from store staff and actively engage in the system of a bulk shop.

Keywords

• value proposition
• service-dominant logic
• s-d logic
• co-creation
• customer journey map
• m-gta