Comment by cpapad | Hacker News Reader

Comment by cpapad | Hacker News Reader

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I've been working on a web app called SmartShopping-Tracker, and I'm excited to share it with you all. The goal of the app is to help users make smarter grocery shopping decisions using AI technology.

Here's what it does:

- Receipt Scanning: Simply upload a photo of your grocery receipt. The app will identify and save the products you've purchased. - Spending Analysis: It analyzes your shopping data over time and provides visual representations of your spending habits. - Smart Suggestions: Based on your purchase history, the app uses AI to suggest more economical and healthier shopping options.

You can connect as a guest to check all the fetures first for free!. Please give me a feedback about: Usability: Is the app user-friendly? Are there any parts that are confusing or could be improved? Features: What do you think of the current features? Is there anything missing that you would find helpful? Suggestions: Any ideas or recommendations to enhance the app? Thank you very much for your time!

I like the scanned receipts and healthy options features you mention (I didn’t check out the site). OpenFoodFacts if you aren’t aware has a wealth of information on products such as health index, ingredients etc that you could integrate with.

I think the key is getting the user focus and showing them better options prior to purchase not once they have a receipt.

Analysing receipts is nice but a second order priority for me.

> Features: What do you think of the current features? Is there anything missing that you would find helpful?

The Australian market is "small" (pop: ~ 27 million ) and dominated by "The Big 4" supermarkets: Woolworths Group, Coles Group, ALDI, and Metcash (IGA). Together, these retailers control over 80% of the Australian supermarket sector.

Recently price collusion and artifical hiking followed by "fake" discounts (prices 'reduced' to greater than initial price just prior to fake hike) was exposed by the national consumer watchdog after being alerted by networked shoppers sharing notes and prices scrapped by themselves.

Will your app assist large groups of consumers in outing anti competitive price fixing by large chains, or do you hope to be 'captured' by large supermarket chains via advertising revenue and plaster over bad behaviour (ala any commercial outlet or influencer taking money from Harvey Norman).

Will you scrap online shopping advertising for bargains and analyse bargain patterns and creeping hikes, shrinkflation?

To be clear, I'm personally not fussed either way, but these are features that smart network savy consumers look for.

Interesting to see this comment. I’m in Australia and have had issues with the supermarkets long before the news caught wind of it this year.

I’m building something you describe, and I think there is great opportunity here, but it’s not quite ready for showing. There will be no advertising, no sell out to the Big 4 etc.

Would you be interested in being a beta user when it’s ready?

> Would you be interested in being a beta user when it’s ready?

Yes but no.

Interested but a lousy beta tester - I'm in a tiny rural town with a single community owned shop .. I'm exposed to Big Four shops maybe once a quarter or so.

Regular items we get in massive sacks from primary producers, quarter sheep to freezer, etc.

I reckon you'd get enough bites from reddit r/Australia .. even from the smaller state sub reddits if you want small scale constrained local area testing and building out from a base.

Thanks - great suggestions. I have some longer term goals, provided this thing took off and had millions of users, you could do things like groupbuy expensive items (such as roasts) in advance in bulk at negotiated prices which also helps big 4’s logistics and food waste, have tiny shops add their pricing via an API so all stores are visible, and provide a free account to those on benefits who REALLY can’t afford to waste dollars

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