Should I Build It Should I Build It
19 Apr 2025
Android

an app to sync and share a grocery list with your family so they can ...

...mark off items when they go shop

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

You're entering a crowded space with your grocery list app. The 'Swamp' category accurately describes this, as many similar solutions already exist, and few have achieved widespread love. With 22 similar products already out there, standing out will be a real challenge. Engagement, as measured by the average number of comments, is low across these existing apps. We don't have buy or use metrics, so we have to assume they are neutral. To succeed, you'll need to offer something fundamentally different or cater to a niche that existing apps are failing to serve. Prepare for a tough climb.

Recommendations

  1. First, dive deep into why existing grocery list apps haven't become indispensable. Read user reviews, analyze their features, and identify pain points they're not addressing. The similar product discussions highlight issues like lack of collaboration features, unintuitive interfaces, and missing location-based functionalities. Focus on these existing criticisms as points to improve on.
  2. Instead of directly competing with established giants, consider focusing on a specific niche within the family grocery shopping space. For example, you could target families with specific dietary needs (allergies, veganism) or those who shop at particular stores. By catering to a niche, you can tailor your app's features and marketing efforts for a better chance of resonating with your target audience.
  3. Explore building tools or integrations for existing grocery list providers. Instead of building yet another app, consider creating a plugin or add-on for popular platforms that enhances their functionality, such as AI-powered recipe suggestions or automatic price comparisons across stores. This can be a faster way to gain traction and leverage existing user bases.
  4. Consider focusing on a tangential problem related to grocery shopping that has more potential. This could involve tools for meal planning, inventory management, or even optimizing shopping routes within a store. By shifting your focus to an adjacent problem, you might find a less competitive and more promising opportunity.
  5. Given the crowded market and the challenges in standing out, carefully evaluate whether this is the best use of your time and resources. There might be other ideas or opportunities that align better with your skills and passions and have a higher likelihood of success. Don't be afraid to pivot or abandon this project if it seems unlikely to gain traction.
  6. Before investing significant time and money, conduct thorough user research to validate your assumptions and identify unmet needs. Talk to families who currently use grocery list apps and those who don't to understand their frustrations and desires. This will help you refine your concept and develop a product that truly solves a problem.
  7. Pay close attention to the user experience (UX) design of your app. Make it intuitive, user-friendly, and visually appealing. The similar product reviews highlight the importance of clear instructions, easy sharing, and seamless collaboration. Invest in a well-designed interface to ensure users enjoy using your app and keep coming back.

Questions

  1. What unique value proposition does your app offer that existing grocery list apps don't? How will you differentiate yourself in a crowded market?
  2. How will you acquire users and build a sustainable user base, given the low engagement and high competition in this space?
  3. What specific niche or user segment are you targeting with your app, and how will you tailor your features and marketing efforts to meet their needs?

Your are here

You're entering a crowded space with your grocery list app. The 'Swamp' category accurately describes this, as many similar solutions already exist, and few have achieved widespread love. With 22 similar products already out there, standing out will be a real challenge. Engagement, as measured by the average number of comments, is low across these existing apps. We don't have buy or use metrics, so we have to assume they are neutral. To succeed, you'll need to offer something fundamentally different or cater to a niche that existing apps are failing to serve. Prepare for a tough climb.

Recommendations

  1. First, dive deep into why existing grocery list apps haven't become indispensable. Read user reviews, analyze their features, and identify pain points they're not addressing. The similar product discussions highlight issues like lack of collaboration features, unintuitive interfaces, and missing location-based functionalities. Focus on these existing criticisms as points to improve on.
  2. Instead of directly competing with established giants, consider focusing on a specific niche within the family grocery shopping space. For example, you could target families with specific dietary needs (allergies, veganism) or those who shop at particular stores. By catering to a niche, you can tailor your app's features and marketing efforts for a better chance of resonating with your target audience.
  3. Explore building tools or integrations for existing grocery list providers. Instead of building yet another app, consider creating a plugin or add-on for popular platforms that enhances their functionality, such as AI-powered recipe suggestions or automatic price comparisons across stores. This can be a faster way to gain traction and leverage existing user bases.
  4. Consider focusing on a tangential problem related to grocery shopping that has more potential. This could involve tools for meal planning, inventory management, or even optimizing shopping routes within a store. By shifting your focus to an adjacent problem, you might find a less competitive and more promising opportunity.
  5. Given the crowded market and the challenges in standing out, carefully evaluate whether this is the best use of your time and resources. There might be other ideas or opportunities that align better with your skills and passions and have a higher likelihood of success. Don't be afraid to pivot or abandon this project if it seems unlikely to gain traction.
  6. Before investing significant time and money, conduct thorough user research to validate your assumptions and identify unmet needs. Talk to families who currently use grocery list apps and those who don't to understand their frustrations and desires. This will help you refine your concept and develop a product that truly solves a problem.
  7. Pay close attention to the user experience (UX) design of your app. Make it intuitive, user-friendly, and visually appealing. The similar product reviews highlight the importance of clear instructions, easy sharing, and seamless collaboration. Invest in a well-designed interface to ensure users enjoy using your app and keep coming back.

Questions

  1. What unique value proposition does your app offer that existing grocery list apps don't? How will you differentiate yourself in a crowded market?
  2. How will you acquire users and build a sustainable user base, given the low engagement and high competition in this space?
  3. What specific niche or user segment are you targeting with your app, and how will you tailor your features and marketing efforts to meet their needs?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 22
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 2
  • Net use signal: 23.1%
    • Positive use signal: 23.1%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.2%
    • Positive buy signal: 2.2%
    • Negative buy signal: 2.0%

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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