ShopSmart

Figma App Design

Inspiration

Shopping for groceries can be overwhelming, especially when juggling costs, time, and convenience. We realized that consumers often have to compromise between traveling further for better deals or paying more for convenience. Inspired by the potential to use technology to simplify this experience, we created ShopSmart—an app that optimizes grocery trips by balancing cost and time, tailored to each user’s preferences.

What it does

ShopSmart empowers users to make informed decisions about their grocery shopping. It suggests the most cost-effective and time-saving routes based on user input., factors in travel costs (gas, public transport) and convenience. Users can customize a price-time conversion factor to prioritize cost savings or convenience.

How we built it

We used React Native with Expo to build a cross-platform app for iOS and Android. The frontend focuses on a user-friendly interface for search, settings, and shopping lists.

Challenges we ran into

Route optimization: Developing a robust algorithm to balance travel time, distance, and cost.
Integration issues: Coordinating between the frontend, backend, and data scraping processes for real-time updates.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Building a clean, responsive UI that enhances the user experience.
Creating a tool that has the potential to save users both time and money.

What we learned

Strategies for solving integration challenges between different app components.
How to design with the end user in mind, balancing simplicity and functionality.
The importance of clear communication and task delegation in a team project.

What's next for ShopSmart

Expanding to include more product categories and store types (e.g., pharmacies, home goods).
Incorporating real-time promotions and coupon notifications.
Enhancing the route optimization algorithm with live traffic updates.