ShelfSense

ShelfSense shows small retailers what products locals want but they don't stock. Upload sales data, get AI-powered recommendations based on neighborhood taste preferences.

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Inspiration

My friend's mom ran a corner store. She was sharp - knew her customers, understood her neighborhood, could spot trends. But when it came to specific inventory decisions, she was making $500 bets with gut instinct alone.

She'd know her area wanted healthier options, but which ones? Kombucha or coconut water? She'd see energy drinks selling, but Red Bull or some new brand? With thin margins and limited shelf space, being wrong once meant eating ramen for a week.

Smart business owners making educated guesses. We thought: what if those guesses had data behind them?

What it does

ShelfSense backs up your business instincts with neighborhood taste data.

You already know your customers. We help you get specific. Upload your sales data, and we use Qloo's preference mapping to validate your hunches and surface the exact products within categories you know work.

Instead of "should I stock healthier drinks?", you get: "Your instinct is right - your area has 2.1x higher kombucha affinity, try these three brands first."

How we built it

  • React frontend for quick data upload
  • Node.js processing taste profiles against inventory
  • Qloo API translating location into preference signals
  • Smart matching that respects your existing categories
  • 10-second validation of your business hunches

Challenges we ran into

Respecting business owner intelligence. Early versions were patronizing - telling people what to stock instead of helping them stock better. Took forever to get the tone right.

Qloo integration complexity. Powerful data, tricky to query meaningfully.

Real-world messiness. POS data is chaos. Every system exports differently.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Validates hunches instead of replacing them
  • Feels like a smart colleague, not a know-it-all system
  • Works fast enough for actual business use
  • Coffee shop owner next door is already interested

What we learned

Business owners don't need to be told what to do - they need confidence in decisions they're already considering.

The best tools amplify human judgment rather than replace it.

Data without context is just noise. Context without data is just guessing.

What's next for ShelfSense

  • Seasonal timing: when to make moves you're already planning
  • Risk assessment: confidence scores for different bets
  • Local competition gaps: opportunities in your wheelhouse
  • Inventory optimization within categories you choose

We're not here to run your business. We're here to make your smart decisions even smarter.

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