Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1. Redesigning an Airfryer that does not omit an awful smell (Economic)
2. I found the opportunity by searching on Amazon for best selling kitchen products, noticing many air fryers were in the best sellers list and then refining the search to include simply one star reviews.
3. It is clear from both the overwhelming review response and my own personal experience that this is a large problem for many people. As the Airfryer is a kitchen gadget, customers may be extra sensitive to the smell surrounding the use of the product in a way that isn't always there with, for example, a vacuum cleaner. 
4. The target customer for an Airfryer is likely someone with a more “American” eating style in that they enjoy fried foods, however they are also health conscious (whether by choice or by necessity) and wand a cleaner option. These customers likely have a moderate disposable income. Often times, women are also particularly drawn to kitchen appliances, though this is not always the case. 
5. This would be a difficult opportunity to exploit in design, as it may infringe on patents and I have no knowledge of the appliance as is. I do think that there is a large market for this product as there are many people who love the product as is and this seems like it would be a welcomed change for the current users while also attracting the attention of customers who specifically disliked this product for this reason.
6. I believe I noticed the opportunity because I also noticed the smell when my family purchased this appliance. Although I have continued to use it, I resonated with the people in the comments section who noted this as their reason for not continuing. I also was a Nutritional Sciences major for my first few years at UF and am conscious about healthier cooking alternatives. 

1. A protective sleeve to place a disposable face mask in
2. In searching on Amazon bestsellers, it is clear that disposable face mask are incredibly popular, and necessary, in relation to the current COVID pandemic. 
3. I believe that this specific opportunity exists as many of the reviews articulate that the masks are overpriced. Although there absolutely are reusable masks that exist already, often they are difficult, if not impossible, to clean and are rather expensive. More ideally, one could use a disposable mask for a few days by placing it in a carrying case. As masks are required in many areas, they will maintain their demand for quite some time. 
4. I believe the target customer of this product is a civilian who is wearing a mask in and out of their place of business, to the store etc. NOTE: This would not be of use to anyone who needs medical grade personal protection equipment.
5. I do not believe this would be a difficult opportunity to exploit in that there is so much demand for masks currently and the design would likely not be very difficult. It would serve a small niche of people who experience this problem and would likely need to have a low price point in order to hold interest.
6. I believe I noticed this opportunity specifically because I am often disturbed by pulling out a face mask that has not been protected out of a larger purse or bag. I also have not exposed to COVID, or other infectious diseases, so I am more concerned with not wasting masks than I am with wearing a sterile mask. It does not bother me to rewear them.

1. A service to aid restaurants in getting their nutritional information online

2. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the strain on grocery stores to keep food stocked, the FDA has loosened regulations of food distribution packaging. Traditionally, restaurants would need to disclose their nutritional facts on any packaged food and foods labeled for distribution would need to be disclosed. I personally learned of this opportunity in the following article:

http://foodsafety.merieuxnutrisciences.com/2020/04/10/covid-19-disrupts-food-supply-channels-regulatory-changes-offer-new-opportunities/

3. I believe this specific opportunity exists because I see among friends and family the desire to know the content of their food, both prepared from a restaurant and any foods that are sold in a grocery store without proper labeling. Although many individuals would purchase the food regardless if they were concerned of going hungry, there would be a curiosity about the nutritional value that I believe would push people to seek out this information. 

4. I believe the target customer of this would be the grocery stores, who could entice customers to purchase loosely market food product by directing their concerns to a website with more nutritional information. In the case of a restaurant, restaurant owners would likely be interested in this service as they could use the information as long as the items on their menu exists (ie. even once the FDA requires labeling again).

5. I believe this may be a more difficult opportunity to exploit as it would require proving to stores that they need such a service. However, I believe that customers would appreciate this information, especially if they are purchasing loosely marked food products. 

6.I am likely to notice this opportunity because I have been quarantining in Michigan during this pandemic and our grocery stores have suffered greatly as a result of the pandemic. Back in March, grocery stores were rationing most items and today they still have limits on the purchase of meat and other products. It does not seem out of the realm of possibility to me that a grocery store would break up, for example, a carton of eggs and sell them individually to attempt to mitigate the chaos.

1. Takeout Cocktails

2. In response to COVID-19, many states have relaxed their laws against the sale of alcohol, namely, bars and restaurants can now sell alcoholic beverages made with liquor with takeout meals. This law has been relaxed in an effort to protect bars and restaurants that are hurting as a result of the stay home orders.

3. There is an opportunity for bars to sell a kit that includes all the ingredients required to make signature cocktails at home. For any basic recipes, this may not be profitable but for specific recipes or drinks that contain interesting ingredients, customers would likely support their local establishments. Additionally, “Zoom Happy Hour” or other similar gatherings are becoming more and more popular for friends to simulate happy hour while video chatting. These kits would provide an interesting talking point to an existing trend. 

4. The target customer of this would be likely the loyal customers of the bar or restaurant. Many people are looking for ways to support local businesses.

5. I believe this would be rather easy to exploit as the recipes are already created and likely already tested among patrons to determine what is popular. The establishment also likely has many of the ingredients on hand and would simply need the marketing to drum up orders as well as the packaging to assemble the kits

6. I noticed the opportunity because I had just recently discussed with a family member that other states are changing their liquor laws in response to the corona virus. This conversation has stuck with me also as my family has been making an effort to support our local restaurants during this time.