Good Goods (Supporting Social Enterprises)

Supporting Social Enterprises

We are a team of students from the National University of Singapore, driven by our passion for design and technology. We want to use our creativity and expertise to ignite meaningful change, making Singapore a more better place for all.

Team members:

• Jerome Goh, Developer

• Koh Kai Xun, Developer

• Loh Xin Yi, UI/UX Designer

• Shawn Lim, Developer

• Eugene Tang, Developer

Problem Statement

Singapore’s social enterprise sector not only plays a pivotal role in offering alternative employment opportunities to disadvantaged Singaporeans, but also advocates for various important causes, including environmental sustainability. While a 2020 Public Perception Study on Social Enterprises in Singapore, commissioned by raiSE, revealed that awareness of social enterprises has increased, ambivalence remains the leading barrier preventing consumers from purchasing from these enterprises. This means that consumers are willing to support social enterprises but will not go out of their way to search for one that satisfies their needs.

Our user survey corroborates these findings: 82.8% of respondents expressed willingness to buy from F&B and retail social enterprises, with 78.5% highlighting convenience as a key motivator. However, among those aware of social enterprises, 79.7% reported difficulty in locating businesses that offer the specific products they seek.

This situation points to a major hurdle for the social enterprise sector: despite consumer willingness, there is a need to enhance the discovery and accessibility of social enterprises.

Proposed Solution

We are developing a web application called Good Goods, with the goal of simplifying the process for buyers (those with interest to purchase) to discover social enterprises that align with their needs while increasing awareness of the diverse social enterprises in Singapore.

For our minimum viable product (MVP), we plan to implement the following key features:

1. Directory of Social Enterprises
Buyers can filter social enterprises by product category, location, and social causes. The enterprise background and stories will be available for perusal.

2. AI-Powered Search Bar
An intuitive search function where buyers can enter natural language queries to find social enterprises that match their specific needs.

3. Crowdsourcing Feature
An avenue for buyers to suggest social enterprises not yet listed on the app.