The encyclopedia · Software & IT · Product decision · 2023
PlazaVea rebuilt its website in low resolution so Peru's rural shoppers could use it on 2G
A supermarket chain made a 72%-lighter version of its online store that runs on a 2G connection and holds payments until the signal is good enough.
PlazaVea (Supermercados Peruanos)
the move
Around 22% of Peru's population lives in rural areas where everyday purchases require long, frequent trips. Online shopping should solve that, but in those same places the internet is slow and unreliable, so the experience failed at the exact moment it was most needed.
PlazaVea and Fahrenheit DDB created 'Redesigning for E-nclusion', splitting the site into a low-bandwidth edition the network can actually carry. On a bad signal it drops to a 72%-lighter page that runs over 2G and uses schematic illustrations in place of heavy product photos.
The harder problem was the checkout: a weak line typically abandons a cart mid-payment. The site detects the drop and holds the transaction until it sees a stronger connection, then settles it, so the shop doesn't lose orders it already earned.
Everything was built around the customer's constraint, not the brand's ideal, which is why it worked for an audience that large retailers normally write off as unreachable.
why it works
- It met the user's actual bandwidth instead of assuming the brand's full experience.
- It removed the biggest failure point — checkout dropping — rather than only making pages lighter.
- It reached a segment competitors ignore, converting previously untouchable demand into sales.
- It was a genuine product change, not a campaign claim, so it produced measurable adoption.
what transfers
When a segment can't use your product, serve them differently rather than spend more on onboarding. Adapting to the real constraint unlocks sales no slogan can.
what came after
The supermarket made over 300 deliveries in its first week in Cusco and saw website traffic rise 10%, then expanded to four more provinces in 2024. It won a Silver Lion at Cannes 2023 and the Grand Ojo for Brand Experience at El Ojo de Iberoamérica, and added a similar trust-based-commerce product alongside it.
references
- Supermarket creates low-res website so rural customers can shop online
- Fahrenheit DDB Perú es GP en El Ojo Experiencia de Marca
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