monobank seems to have «blown up» the food market with «Secret Boxes.» Customers are hunting for boxes from the very morning, complaining that they don’t have time to book them, and establishments are actively wanting to join the project. Why have food boxes become so popular?
monobank seems to have «blown up» the food market with «Secret Boxes.» Customers are hunting for boxes from the very morning, complaining that they don’t have time to book them, and establishments are actively wanting to join the project. Why have food boxes become so popular?
Just three days after the launch of «Secret Boxes», the Expirenza application from the founders of monobank became the leader in downloads in the App Store in Ukraine, wrote Oleg Horohovsky, co-founder of the bank and service, on Telegram and published the top.
However, this practice of selling off unsold goods is not new in the world. In Europe, there is an initiative called Too Good To Go, which allows shoppers to save up to 90% on products that are nearing their expiration date.
Also, the other day, Ukrainians launched the Ricky Food application, through which you can order products at a discount, saving them from disposal .
Another concept of discount boxes was recently introduced by Kyivstar.Tech — Star.Packly. This is a bot that allows you to order meal kits with significant discounts at any time of the establishment’s operation.
In addition, in Ukraine, supermarket chains have long been selling off ready-made products and meat products at discounts — after 8:00 PM, you can often find many dishes from the culinary department with a discount of up to 50%.
«The hunt for boxes starts in the morning. Customers unite in communities to find them and have time to buy them,» noted Gorohovsky, adding visual evidence — a review from a customer.
However, the customer does not understand exactly what he will receive in the box. Only the product category is more or less clear if it is a mono-product or thematic establishment, for example, a donut cafe or a Georgian restaurant.
Meanwhile, users of the service state that it is possible to buy the desired set at a discount only if you try hard.
According to user reports, there may be no discount offers left in the application by 9 am.
Why have «Secret Boxes» become so desirable? There are several factors — there is a game option, and a desire to save money, and, in fact, to get a surprise. And also — an ecological component, when there will be less garbage on the planet if the products are eaten, and not thrown away.
By the way, here’s what dev.ua readers think about the service.
The meal kits offered as part of the initiative are quite diverse. However, even the establishments themselves cannot predict what will remain unsold today and which products will be in high demand. That is why user reviews are not always positive.
There are users who are very satisfied with the sets, and there are those who express disappointment with the filling of the boxes.
Here are some reviews from satisfied users.
And here are a few complaints about the institutions and the formation of the boxes.
There is another point — some users claim that the boxes are mostly available to those who live and work in the center of the capital. Users suggest adding courier delivery to the service.
Currently, box offers are available at Milk Bar, Soul Cafe, Idealist Coffee, Musafir, MAMA MANANA, The Cake, Ponchyk Boy, Aunt Klara, Klara Bakery and others.
However, according to mono co-founder Oleksandr Roshalsky, more and more establishments are interested in joining the project. «Even more establishments have wanted to sell boxes. So stay tuned,» he wrote on Instagram.
Let’s remind you that the price of the boxes is always fixed, but the goodies inside are definitely worth more than the cost of the box.
And finally, a life hack from an experienced user.
