Dinnr was a web platform which allowed customers to select a recipe on the website and order pre-measured ingredients accompanied with printed instruction which would be delivered to them on the same day. The only item clients were required to have at home, besides an equipped kitchen, were oil, salt, and pepper.
Dinnr failed as there was no real market need for the company from the start. If people had supermarkets and supermarkets nearby (as is often the case in developed countries), they wouldn’t have to order ingredients when they could go out and buy what they need. Dinnr has focused on ingredient sourcing and delivery, but the reality is that most potential customers would rather order ready meals than just an ingredient that they then have to prepare. And while the product may have been useful in some cases, the demand for the product was low, resulting in a low profit margin.
The Dinnr team seems to have created a product they personally like without first doing thorough market research. They conducted multiple interviews and focused on marketing their services rather than asking about the challenges the average customer faces when shopping for groceries. It was overlooked that the presentation of a product instead of reliable market research on paper provides great statistics, but often leads to disappointment when it is launched on the market.
Additionally, Dinnr initially set lofty monthly goals, but they were overly ambitious and failure to meet their own expectations could have dealt them a psychological blow later on.
Sources:https://medium.com/indian-thoughts/seven-lessons-i-learned-from-the-failure-of-my-first-startup-dinnr-c166d1cfb8b8