A Plant-Based Shopping Experience, And?
- Extended the plant’s perspective across in-store touchpoints, from entry to checkout.
- Prototyped alternative baskets and eco-labelling to evoke emotional connections.
- Recognised the need to move from human-centred retail to plant-centred design.
From Entry to Checkout – Midpoint Concepts
Building on our AEIOU analysis of in-store experiences, we extended the plant’s point of view across the full customer journey. Each touchpoint was seen as an opportunity to embed moments of gratitude and respect for plants. Design ideas included loyalty member-exclusive baskets, special product zones, bee-dance-inspired wayfinding, and visualised thank-you messages for eco-conscious purchases.
Exploring New Ways of Carrying
Could shopping baskets become more than tools—emotional mediators, perhaps? We experimented with replacing standard plastic baskets with natural materials to evoke new emotional responses and respect for local plants.
First, we tested a deep rattan basket. Although it lacked handles and had to be held in one’s arms, participants described a calming sensation—as if they were cradling a tree. The second basket, shallow and also made of rattan, gave a sense of servitude and required users to move more carefully. Finally, a fabric-style basket enveloped the body and was described as comforting, although its structural stability needed refinement. These small inconveniences opened up possibilities: physical discomfort could invite emotional reflection and a new attitude toward plants.
All Sustainable Products? You May Skip the Queue!
To encourage the purchase of sustainable products, we developed a visual labelling system. Building on Sainsbury’s existing nectar and discount labels, this system classified products into four levels of sustainability, each marked with a colour inspired by bee vision.
Store layout was also reconsidered. Eco-products were placed near the entrance and accompanied by floor stickers to guide customers toward them. Bee-dance-inspired routes led to designated eco-zones, helping shift foot traffic naturally.
As an added incentive, we proposed an "eco-checkout fast track" for customers who purchased only sustainable items. Using RFID kiosks or similar technologies, this system could speed up transactions while rewarding environmentally mindful behaviour.
Growing a Digital Garden in the Store
We envisioned the installation of large digital screens at the entrance and exit to create a "digital garden"—welcoming customers with the ambience of a blooming space. When eco-conscious shoppers completed checkout, personalised messages from the plants would appear on the exit screen. Over time, a flower count visible outside the store would grow to reflect daily sustainable purchases. This visual bloom would not only inform citizens about local progress but also foster healthy competition between stores.
Reflections Beyond the Midpoint
Drawing from Meadows’ concept of leverage points, we explored system-level changes that could turn the store into a site of inclusive, interactive, and eco-driven action. The aim was to transition from transactional shopping to intentional ecological engagement.
Still, some tensions remained. While sustainable consumption clearly benefits local plants, we questioned whether encouraging consumption itself aligns with plant values. Balancing the three major pillars—shopping, loyalty, and plants—proved complex. For instance, the new basket ideas considered shopping and plants, but had little to do with loyalty. Community gardening supported loyalty and plants, but had weaker ties to individual shopping journeys.
One insight emerged from the basket tests: deliberate inconvenience could trigger emotional responses. Forcing users to cradle the basket or bow slightly while picking items suggested new behaviours and new relationships with the plant world.
Although we focused on sustainable in-store shopping experiences, we found ourselves lacking depth in truly seeing through the eyes of plants. Midpoint feedback reminded us that designing for plants may require spending more time with plants. If given another opportunity, I would shift focus outside the store—to the environments where plants actually live—and explore how those spaces might reshape our ways of designing and experiencing sustainability.
Reference
- ARTE MUSEUM. n.d. JEJU. [online] Available at: https://artemuseum.com/JEJU [Accessed 17 Apr. 2025].
- Forlano, L. (2017) ‘Posthumanism and Design’, She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 3(1), pp. 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2017.08.001
- Frameless. n.d. The World Around Us. [online] Available at: https://frameless.com/the-experience/the-world-around-us/[Accessed 17 Apr. 2025].
- Meadows, D.H. (1999) Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System. Hartland, VT: The Sustainability Institute.
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