20 May 2025
Android

ratethisroute is a simple feedback tool for climbing gyms. Each ...

...climbing route gets a printed QR code. When climbers scan it, they’re taken to a clean, mobile-friendly page where they can rate the route from 1 to 5 stars and leave an optional comment. No sign-up is needed. The gym gets a private page showing average ratings, number of votes, and all comments for each route. It helps gyms understand what climbers enjoy. It’s quick to set up, easy to use, and can grow with more features over time.

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.


Your are here

The idea of using QR codes for feedback collection in climbing gyms places you in a crowded space, one we call the "Swamp" category. Our analysis of 13 similar products reveals a landscape where many solutions exist, but few truly stand out. The average engagement, measured by the number of comments, is low at 2, suggesting that while these products exist, they don't necessarily generate a lot of buzz. You should note that most of these QR-code-based feedback solutions don't generate a lot of traction, and you will need to be significantly different to stand out. The existing solutions haven't really captured the market's imagination. It's crucial to understand why, rather than just adding another tool to the pile.

Recommendations

  1. Delve into why existing feedback solutions haven't taken off in climbing gyms. Talk to gym owners and climbers. What are the current pain points? Is it ease of use, lack of actionable insights, or something else entirely? Understanding the 'why' behind the current situation is crucial before building another solution that might suffer the same fate. If you are not able to find any pain points that can be solved with software, consider other opportunities and don't waste your time.
  2. If you proceed, target a very specific niche within the climbing gym ecosystem. For instance, focus on bouldering-only gyms, gyms with competitive climbing teams, or gyms that heavily emphasize community events. A tailored solution for a well-defined group is far more likely to gain traction than a generic tool for everyone. Consider focusing on gyms with a specific size or geographic location to further narrow your focus.
  3. Instead of building a competing platform, explore creating tools or integrations that enhance existing gym management software. Could you develop a plugin for their current system that adds QR-based feedback? Integrating into existing workflows will be easier than convincing gyms to switch to an entirely new system. This approach leverages existing infrastructure and reduces the barrier to entry.
  4. Look into adjacent problems faced by climbing gyms that might be more promising. Perhaps route setting optimization, community engagement tools, or even automated inventory management. Sometimes, pivoting slightly to address a more pressing or underserved need can lead to greater success. Consider what related problems could be solved for climbing gyms.
  5. Before investing significant time and resources, conduct thorough market research. Are climbing gyms actively seeking this type of feedback tool, or is it a 'nice-to-have' feature? Gauge their willingness to pay for such a solution. A survey, interviews, or even a simple landing page with a signup form can provide valuable insights. You can also search for similar services online to see if people are actively looking for such services or not.
  6. Implement features that improve user engagement compared to similar products. Some users of 'FeedbackCorner' suggest customization options for feedback forms. Also, based on feedback from 'SurveyMoji', consider that Gen Z users might find emojis outdated, so focus on delivering a more modern user experience. Ensure that users are able to use your service without having to sign in, as some users didn't like signing into Google to use I think I have created how to Get More Google Reviews with QR Codes.

Questions

  1. What are the top 3 reasons why climbing gyms haven't adopted similar feedback tools in the past? What specific hurdles or objections have they voiced?
  2. Beyond route ratings, what other types of data or feedback would be most valuable to climbing gym owners and route setters? How can you expand the usefulness of your tool beyond a simple star rating?
  3. Given the existence of multiple similar products, what is your unfair advantage? What unique insight or capability do you possess that will allow you to succeed where others have failed?

Your are here

The idea of using QR codes for feedback collection in climbing gyms places you in a crowded space, one we call the "Swamp" category. Our analysis of 13 similar products reveals a landscape where many solutions exist, but few truly stand out. The average engagement, measured by the number of comments, is low at 2, suggesting that while these products exist, they don't necessarily generate a lot of buzz. You should note that most of these QR-code-based feedback solutions don't generate a lot of traction, and you will need to be significantly different to stand out. The existing solutions haven't really captured the market's imagination. It's crucial to understand why, rather than just adding another tool to the pile.

Recommendations

  1. Delve into why existing feedback solutions haven't taken off in climbing gyms. Talk to gym owners and climbers. What are the current pain points? Is it ease of use, lack of actionable insights, or something else entirely? Understanding the 'why' behind the current situation is crucial before building another solution that might suffer the same fate. If you are not able to find any pain points that can be solved with software, consider other opportunities and don't waste your time.
  2. If you proceed, target a very specific niche within the climbing gym ecosystem. For instance, focus on bouldering-only gyms, gyms with competitive climbing teams, or gyms that heavily emphasize community events. A tailored solution for a well-defined group is far more likely to gain traction than a generic tool for everyone. Consider focusing on gyms with a specific size or geographic location to further narrow your focus.
  3. Instead of building a competing platform, explore creating tools or integrations that enhance existing gym management software. Could you develop a plugin for their current system that adds QR-based feedback? Integrating into existing workflows will be easier than convincing gyms to switch to an entirely new system. This approach leverages existing infrastructure and reduces the barrier to entry.
  4. Look into adjacent problems faced by climbing gyms that might be more promising. Perhaps route setting optimization, community engagement tools, or even automated inventory management. Sometimes, pivoting slightly to address a more pressing or underserved need can lead to greater success. Consider what related problems could be solved for climbing gyms.
  5. Before investing significant time and resources, conduct thorough market research. Are climbing gyms actively seeking this type of feedback tool, or is it a 'nice-to-have' feature? Gauge their willingness to pay for such a solution. A survey, interviews, or even a simple landing page with a signup form can provide valuable insights. You can also search for similar services online to see if people are actively looking for such services or not.
  6. Implement features that improve user engagement compared to similar products. Some users of 'FeedbackCorner' suggest customization options for feedback forms. Also, based on feedback from 'SurveyMoji', consider that Gen Z users might find emojis outdated, so focus on delivering a more modern user experience. Ensure that users are able to use your service without having to sign in, as some users didn't like signing into Google to use I think I have created how to Get More Google Reviews with QR Codes.

Questions

  1. What are the top 3 reasons why climbing gyms haven't adopted similar feedback tools in the past? What specific hurdles or objections have they voiced?
  2. Beyond route ratings, what other types of data or feedback would be most valuable to climbing gym owners and route setters? How can you expand the usefulness of your tool beyond a simple star rating?
  3. Given the existence of multiple similar products, what is your unfair advantage? What unique insight or capability do you possess that will allow you to succeed where others have failed?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 13
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 2
  • Net use signal: -3.6%
    • Positive use signal: 2.7%
    • Negative use signal: 6.4%
  • Net buy signal: -3.2%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 3.2%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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