A premium brand ice cream company had an issue with temperature critical deliveries to the New York stores that stocked their product – delays in delivery times and the transfer of the product between several different vehicles meant that it would often arrive in unsaleable condition.
During a creative thinking session with the distribution company, a sailing enthusiast working for the ice cream company suggested they might use the same method that was employed when you can’t reach the shore on a big boat – get into a smaller one for the last part of the journey.
Their solution, implemented within weeks, was to ‘deliver’ small delivery vehicles to the edge of the city on a large truck. These small vehicles didn’t get snarled up on the busy city streets and the ice cream arrived in tip top condition.
What can we learn from this example?
An idea is not innovation until it is acted upon and by involving your business partners in the process, innovation can happen that much quicker.