[tacon]

Where are those social app systems that process your grocery receipts and show where the savings on things you buy are at the moment? I remember a Mixergy interview from years ago where a Techstars team was working on processing receipts to share, but then they pivoted. If they captured all the data and gave me back a detailed breakdown of what I bought in machine readable format (the stores aren't going to do that), I'd be happy if they used the collected data to rate stores on prices, rate my purchases on healthiness, etc. Basically, I want your wife's brain and memory in an app.

[matheweis]

A partner and I (failed when we) founded Groceree, an app that did almost exactly this. The biggest problem we were unable to solve was incentivizing users to use the app and give us the data. Users of smartphones tended to be well off and not interested in the savings. Less well off users that were interested in the savings had very busy lives and/or lacked the discipline to do the planning before shopping. Potential users would be excited about the idea but didn't want to follow through at scale.

Anyhow, there is another app that has come out since (Basket), that is very similar to what we wanted to build. They seem to have done better on the incentivization front.

Might check Basket out and see if it does what you want. (I have no relationship with them).

Incidentally, our data suggested that if you were willing to shop at 3 or more stores you could save on average more than 85% on your grocery bills... the savings are potentially huge.

[DiabloD3]

Thank you for what you did, even if you failed. I've been looking at an app for that for a long time, and even collect data if I had to, to participate.

[matheweis]

Ah, thanks! I still have all sorts of leftover technology from it, like a database of thousands and thousands of grocery stores all over the US, their physical locations and websites, etc. and no idea what to do with it...

Here is a link to Basket. My partner and I were simultaneously super bummed but also excited to see the idea realized: https://basketsavings.com/

[DiabloD3]

In the end, I don't think that company will survive. They only have an app for the iPhone, which is pretty much the minority of their target market.

[matheweis]

They have Android too, just not linked from their webpage: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.basketsavi...

[k-mcgrady]

>> Where are those social app systems that process your grocery receipts and show where the savings on things you buy are at the moment?

The major supermarkets in the UK did something like this (they might still do it). If you shopped online, after your order had been delivered you would receive an email telling you whether your shop would have been cheaper or more expensive at their biggest competitor and by how much. If your shop in Tesco for example worked out £3 more expensive than if you'd done the shop in ASDA they would refund you the difference or give you a coupon. The limitation was that it did not apply to own-brand items I believe.

The problem I think with a third party doing something like this is that it'll just lead to a price war. Supermarkets are able to squeeze their suppliers pretty hard and while you might save 10p on your milk some local farmer ends up totally screwed with no bargaining position.