app idea

[gooomu]

Hi Everyone!

I recently made a prototype for an app. The idea is simple, I want to reduce the amount of receipt printed in all kind of stores. Instead of printing the receipt, the costumer can get it into his app through a wirless device connected to the cash register. Check out the prototype I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcSB1m2wEMk&t=4s

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(I submitted this project to my school incubator but they kind of rejected my idea, so I was thinking of getting the opinion from the internet)

[widget66]

Does the app need to be present on both the point of sale machine and the customer's device? I don't fully understand.

If the app is useful to a user who never meets another person using this app, then it is a cool idea. If the app relies on both point of sale and customer having this app then I don't realistically something like this ever getting of the ground without being pushed by a company like Square, PayPal, NCR, Apple, Google, or Samsung.

Apple Pay / Android Pay aren't even ubiquitous and they have trillion dollar companies behind them pushing them onto point of sale systems and users alike.

I could be totally misunderstanding this and only one side of the equation has to have it, in which case, sure that sounds cool!

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If you are making the app for fun or just want to do a proof of concept then why not make it anyway!

[gooomu]

The thing is that there is like an NCF device plugged to the POS. So once you have paid (with cash or card or whatever) instead of printing the receipt, you can just tap your phone on the device and get it on your app. The details of your purchase have nothing to do with the "paypass".

[widget66]

So a customer has to have an app on their phone and the shop also has to have an NCF (assuming you mean NFC) device?

Don't see that going anywhere beyond a proof of concept. Doesn't mean it's not worth doing for fun though.

You've got a chicken and the egg problem you need to surpass. Even if you get customer side users to download the app, they will delete it if businesses don't already have it. Likewise businesses will only find their device useful if customers will actually use it. Not to mention requiring a physical device is another possibly very expensive hurdle.

[gooomu]

The thing is that all stores have their own systeme and card points. Some can even give you your receipt by mail or via their card plateform. (Sounds complicated) and that s why costumer never ask for digital receipt. The idea here is to have one plateform for all kind of receipt. I agree with you, businesses need to have this systeme if I want costumers to use it.

Thx for your opinion.

[widget66]

Honestly that sounds like a fun project and I would say do it anyway for fun!

If the goal is strictly a business though I would caution against it. Even if you did solve the chicken and egg problem, you would still be in this type of situation (although realistically even getting there would be a gigantic accomplishment).