new app idea. need comments

[mikesmith]

I have an idea for an app but I need other people's opinion on it. I was at the store the other day and wanted just one item but I ended up leaving without it because the line was really long. so that's when i got the idea an app that you download on your phone and you scan the items barcode and you pay with it through the app and the money gets sent to the company. then when you exit the store you show the receipt checker the receipt on your phone or they scan a barcode to confirm that you purchased the item. amazon has a few store that you scan once when you enter then you grab whatever items you want then exit without a cashier and the store and it charges you for it, but that requires tons of cameras , monitors, and bar codes on every item to track everything. however my idea is that you scan the item your self and pay through the app and skip the long lines. so can you guys give me feed back on my idea and answer a few questions. would you download and use this app yourself? if you're an app developer is this idea possible. are there any apps similar to this already available?

 

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[Parks]

Hmmm. I don't think An App is the right direction personally.

I'll add onto your idea though; I often see self checkout areas closed because they usually require one employee watching over them on rushes.

How about products embedded with an magnet
/identifiers. This could be for stores you enter that has a membership required. Basically your same principle of leaving with your product and being charged with it. Or for non-membership stores swipe your card before entering and charged when leaving.

Basically innovating ontop of the antitheft magnet scanners some retail stores have already.

Possible cons: Tinfoil over magnets that block it leaving the Magnet Scanner Door (Sci-fi innovation)

 

[Hadrian]

I have an idea for an app but I need other people's opinion on it. I was at the store the other day and wanted just one item but I ended up leaving without it because the line was really long. so that's when i got the idea an app that you download on your phone and you scan the items barcode and you pay with it through the app and the money gets sent to the company. then when you exit the store you show the receipt checker the receipt on your phone or they scan a barcode to confirm that you purchased the item. amazon has a few store that you scan once when you enter then you grab whatever items you want then exit without a cashier and the store and it charges you for it, but that requires tons of cameras , monitors, and bar codes on every item to track everything. however my idea is that you scan the item your self and pay through the app and skip the long lines. so can you guys give me feed back on my idea and answer a few questions. would you download and use this app yourself? if you're an app developer is this idea possible. are there any apps similar to this already available?

Interesting idea. They have little devices in the bigger stores here in Ireland where you can scan in all your shopping to check prices and add up the total so you can see exactly what you're spending. I could see a use in having a docking station where you can return the device and pay for the goods as well. That might be easier for the stores to adopt rather than an app on your phone. Could be an idea worth pursuing!

Check out Y-Combinator and Pioneer for some free early user feedback on the idea!

Links here: MEETUPS - App Developer Networking Group

 

[Kid]

Not to rain on your parade but cashier would still need
to check if you have taken same items that you paid for (one by one).

And also it adds effort on side of buyer - he has to scan "correctly"
qr code or bar code for everything he takes.
I'm writing this b/c in few shops around there are self-checkouts
and not everybody uses them (most of the time someone who has very
few items), like maybe 20% of people.

 

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[BarniPro]

Tesco (in the EU) does something similar to your idea: It's called Scan & Shop, and the process is roughly the following:

1. You scan the items with your phone (or if you do not want to use it, there are scanners running the app when you enter the store)
2. Load items in your shopping cart and scan them when you put them in
3. You go to a self-checkout machine
4. The machine scans the QR code on your device and automatically loads the scanned items you scanned before while shopping (so no need to unload your cart)
5. You pay at the self-checkout machine
6. You return the scanner if you used it
Now the way they solve theft is random checks, I do not know how effective this is.

Note that the solution above does not solve the waiting in line problem, which you are proposing a solution for.

From the technical side, it is doable, but I believe you would need to work very closely with the shop.

I like your idea, but it's hard for me to imagine a company without the myriad of cameras (like Amazon) to just let you leave without anyone checking your cart and comparing it to the receipt. Especially with restricted items like alcohol requiring extra checks.

The closest to "skipping the line" solution I can imagine is having a separate gateway for customers that use your solution, where an employee only skims at your cart, thus speeding up the verification process.

 

[Christopher104]

I have an idea for an app but I need other people's opinion on it. I was at the store the other day and wanted just one item but I ended up leaving without it because the line was really long. so that's when i got the idea an app that you download on your phone and you scan the items barcode and you pay with it through the app and the money gets sent to the company. then when you exit the store you show the receipt checker the receipt on your phone or they scan a barcode to confirm that you purchased the item. amazon has a few store that you scan once when you enter then you grab whatever items you want then exit without a cashier and the store and it charges you for it, but that requires tons of cameras , monitors, and bar codes on every item to track everything. however my idea is that you scan the item your self and pay through the app and skip the long lines. so can you guys give me feed back on my idea and answer a few questions. would you download and use this app yourself? if you're an app developer is this idea possible. are there any apps similar to this already available?

This is a pretty good idea. I've had the same problem many times. The only challenge I can see this having is getting all of the retail giants on board with your idea.

One reason my old job wouldn't accept apple pay is because they require a commission.

From what I've seen and heard corporate ladder CEOS (people who didn't want to take risk and a$$ kissed their way to the top) are some of the greediest people on the planet. Most retail giants are ran by ladder CEOS, so you will have a hard time getting your app exposed to large amounts of people in the beginning.

What I would try is small local stores that aren't very sexy at the moment. After you've saved enough capital, you can advertise this "Express ticket" on the internet through google ads and Facebook ads as well.

My theory is that people will complain that it's not available in bigger stores like walmart, Macy's, and home depot. They won't only complain to you, but these same big stores as well. As a result, the big stores have two choices:

A) they could simply ignore the complaints and lose a large portion of customers to competition (which you will profit from).

Or...

B) they could let them use your app (which you would ALSO profit from)

In either scenario, it's a win win for you. So yes, I do think you have a good idea on your hands. Get it done before someone else does...

 

[AppMan]

I have an idea for an app but I need other people's opinion on it. I was at the store the other day and wanted just one item but I ended up leaving without it because the line was really long. so that's when i got the idea an app that you download on your phone and you scan the items barcode and you pay with it through the app and the money gets sent to the company. then when you exit the store you show the receipt checker the receipt on your phone or they scan a barcode to confirm that you purchased the item. amazon has a few store that you scan once when you enter then you grab whatever items you want then exit without a cashier and the store and it charges you for it, but that requires tons of cameras , monitors, and bar codes on every item to track everything. however my idea is that you scan the item your self and pay through the app and skip the long lines. so can you guys give me feed back on my idea and answer a few questions. would you download and use this app yourself? if you're an app developer is this idea possible. are there any apps similar to this already available?

Good idea. If you dont do it within one year I might do it
However there is a catch , you need a lot of integration with the store that you decide to go with, many companies only do integrations with well known partners.

 

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[Knugs]

I'm waiting for somebody to come up with a magnetic identifier on products that allow a standing machine (like a metal detector) to scan all the products in your shopping cart at once. Basically you just drive your cart through this machine and immediately pay the sum at the cashier. No taking out products from the cart and rebagging them at the cashier, no more ques, no more 7-8 employees at the cashout.

Alternatively smart shopping carts that do the trick

Listen, I have been getting so frustrated in these ques that I get to mentally masturbate about such things. Please innovate it.

I'm not suprised that "Gorilla" became an unicorn in less than a year. Shop online and delivery within 10 minutes. Dream.

Supermarkets/grocery stores are going to die out as soon as the older population is gone.



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PS: These self-check out things were really good in the UK and are really bad in Germany. In Germany they want you to put it in the designated bagging area and it needs to be wighed by the system to be registered. Wth, IKEA simplified this. Just let them bloody scan the products and leave them alone with the weighing thing. That makes things so complicated.


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Whilst somebody at it can you also persuade grocery stores to let you shop online and pick up grocerys at the market?