Power Up Savings

Inspiration

Our inspiration for this project was to transform user spending into a more fun, engaging, and rewarding experience. We aimed to create a marketplace that not only benefits users but also drives profitability for Capital One. By making cash-back rewards more interactive, we wanted users to feel excited about earning deals from their favorite stores rather than just seeing it as another financial tool. Our goal was to bridge the gap between smart spending and enjoyment, turning everyday purchases into a gamified and rewarding experience. We also saw CaptialOneShopping.com and saw that we can try to make their site more profitable with our website. Furthermore, we saw that lots of banking firms profit off of their customers using interest. We decided to remove this feature and only gain profits through partnerships with other companies, which will allow us to make more money than before since we earn more user trust.

What it does

The app has a bunch of tools for users to get both cashback and learn from their spending.

Personalized Recommendations: Users receive smarter suggestions based on their spending history, helping them discover smarter deals and better financial choices. Spending Habit Quizzes: We engage users with quizzes that analyze their purchasing patterns, making them more aware of their spending behaviors. Smart Financial Decision Quizzes: Our app also includes interactive quizzes that teach users how to make informed financial choices, reinforcing positive money habits. AI Chatbot Assistant: A built-in AI chatbot helps users make smarter purchasing decisions. For example, if a user frequently spends on fast food, the chatbot suggests healthier grocery alternatives. These recommended groceries are conveniently available in our "Shop Now" tab, where users can easily explore and purchase them while earning cashback.

The Shop Now tab also includes all of our partnerships with companies.

How we built it

We built our app using a modern tech stack to ensure a seamless and efficient experience for users.

Frontend: Developed with React and TypeScript to create a responsive and user-friendly interface. Backend: Powered by Python, handling data processing and integrating with external services. Also used to handle the login page. Database: We utilized MongoDB Atlas to securely store and manage user data. API Integration: Our backend retrieves real-time financial data from the Capital One API, enabling personalized recommendations and insights.

Challenges we ran into

Throughout development, we faced several challenges that pushed us to think creatively and refine our approach:

Game Functionality: Ensuring the game worked correctly was a major hurdle, as it required smooth interactions, seamless transitions, and logic that adapted to user choices. Feature Overload & Debugging: With so many features to implement, we had to carefully manage our time and debug extensively to ensure everything functioned as expected. Capital One API & Transaction Data: Retrieving and structuring transaction data from the Capital One API was more complex than anticipated, requiring adjustments to how we processed and stored data. Frontend & Gaming Section Complexity: The gaming section had a more dynamic UI with a fancier background and an interactive question flow. Making it visually appealing while keeping it fully functional took extra effort. AI Chatbot Accuracy: Initially, the chatbot struggled to interpret user input correctly, especially when asked about financial habits and future planning. We had to fine-tune it to ensure it provided relevant and helpful responses tailored to user spending behavior.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re incredibly proud of what we accomplished with this project, as we believe we’ve built something more profitable and engaging than the original Capital One Shopping site, which primarily focuses on discounts.

Revolutionizing Spending & Cashback: We successfully transformed user spending into a fun, interactive, and rewarding experience, bridging the gap between financial responsibility and enjoyment. Building a More Profitable Marketplace: Unlike traditional cashback models, our platform creates a dynamic marketplace where users actively engage with personalized deals, making it more profitable for Capital One. Furthermore, we provide actual advice to our audience to buy items that are more needed for them, leading them to get attached to our website to make better financial choices that they can't make anywhere else. Enhancing Capital One Shopping: We saw an opportunity to take CapitalOneShopping.com a step further, not just offering discounts but creating a gamified and AI-driven experience that boosts user engagement and retention. Rethinking Banking Revenue Models: Many banking firms rely on interest to generate profits, but we designed our model to be more user-friendly and trust-driven. Instead of profiting off interest, our approach leverages strategic partnerships with businesses, ensuring a more ethical and sustainable way to generate revenue.

What we learned

Database Management with MongoDB Atlas: We learned how to efficiently store and retrieve user data using MongoDB Atlas, improving our ability to work with NoSQL databases. API Integration & Data Processing: Working with the Capital One API challenged us to structure and process transaction data effectively, improving our backend development skills. AI Chatbot Development: We gained experience in training an AI chatbot, refining its responses to provide accurate financial recommendations based on user spending habits. Game Logic & User Interaction: Developing the quiz and gaming section taught us how to design interactive flows, ensuring that questions dynamically adjust based on user choices. Full-Stack Collaboration: Balancing frontend and backend development, debugging complex issues, and integrating multiple features gave us hands-on experience in full-stack development and teamwork.

What's next for Power Up Savings

We see Power Up Savings as more than just a project. It’s a foundation for something even bigger. Moving forward, we aim to enhance the platform in several ways:

Expanding AI Capabilities: We want to refine our AI chatbot to provide even smarter financial insights, integrating machine learning to better understand user habits and offer more personalized recommendations. More Interactive Gamification: We plan to introduce new challenges, reward tiers, and competitive leaderboards to make saving money feel like an achievement rather than a chore. Enhanced Merchant Partnerships: Expanding our network of partnered businesses will provide users with better deals, exclusive discounts, and more cashback opportunities across a wider range of retailers. Deeper Spending Insights: We aim to integrate more advanced analytics, helping users visualize their spending trends in an intuitive and actionable way. Mobile App Development: To make Power Up Savings even more accessible, we’re considering launching a mobile app, allowing users to track spending, earn rewards, and engage with financial tools on the go.