ShopAlone

Logotype
Main page with no stores found
Main page with stores found
Time slot selected
Confirmation text and ticket
Company slot view

Why?

All over the world, governments and communities are trying to prevent the formation of crowds in order to combat the new pandemic and prevent further infections. One hotspot for the formation of crowds are supermarkets, where it is key that we limit and evenly distribute the amount of customers visiting a store during a day. However, only limiting the amount of customers allowed inside a store at once might not be sufficient. These limitations will inevitably lead to queues, which also pose a risk of further infection.

How?

Both distributing the amount of customers in a store and avoiding the formation of queues can be done by implementing an online booking system. Companies can register their stores at the website by providing time slots with a maximum allowed number of customers. Customers can then book a certain time slot with their phone number, upon which they are sent a QR code via SMS which grants them access to the store at a certain time.

A booking system for entry to a store will provide three important things:

The flow of customers will be more spread out throughout the day
Short queues, all the way down to no queues at all
A simple way for stores to follow existing as well as possible future guidelines and regulations from the government

The service will be accessible to any customer with a phone number and any supermarket that registers their page on the website. Even though we encourage the use of QR codes to speed up the verification process of customers, we have also implemented a system with alphanumeric codes. The alphanumeric codes can be used by anyone who doesn't own a smartphone or isn't acquainted with QR codes.

What has been done during this weekend?

Before the hackathon, we had developed a back-end with basic functionality and a draft for our front-end. During these three days, we have added functionality to the back-end, for example adding support for different time zones. We have also focused on solving bugs, refactoring and fully documenting our API with swagger. The front-end has been overhauled for a simpler user experience while also adding new features such as displaying distances to shops.

The impact of our solution

Our solution will enable companies to comply with government restrictions on gatherings, while enabling them to contribute in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. Moreover, eliminating queues and distributing customers throughout a day will maximise the number of possible customers under the current circumstances. Lastly, an overview of the flow of customers to a certain store will allow a company to use their resources and staff more effectively.

What we need to continue the project

Find partners willing to finance and support an initial release
Keep improving ShopAlone to reduce impact on business from corona
Develop a growth strategy that reaches stores around Europe

The value of our solution after the crisis

The solution is applicable to any business that might experience an influx of customers that is greater than its capacity. This, for example, holds true for pubs and restaurants. Once we return to a somewhat normal status quo, ShopAlone could serve as a simple and fast booking system for pubs and restaurants!