iPhone app that scans away male shopping incompetence

Here’s a new iPhone application that scans away the sheer incompetence of males when it comes to shopping.

Scan2List, from Sydney-based partners Tim Stanford and Kate Cass, removes virtually all brainpower from the process.

The free app allows users to easily create shopping lists by scanning the barcodes of items in their pantry onto their phones, reports The Age.

The list can even be organised into aisles that match the layout of your local supermarket and items are checked off as they are added to the trolley.

“The idea for the application was born when Kate's husband suggested he do the weekly shop,” said Stanford.

“Upon his return Kate found she had all kinds of weird and wonderful things, not to mention the things he forgot … forcing her to go back to the shops. Something so frustrating that we all can relate to,” he added.

Stanford said he initially wanted to call the company ‘I hate shopping’ in deference to the fact that “the majority of males hate shopping”.
 
He said over 150,000 barcodes had been ingested since Scan2List launched in November 2010, and at least eight out of 10 products were recognised. Unrecognised products can be added manually.

The ability to add prices to items allows users to know their approximate spend before leaving home and lists can be shared with other users of the app.

Stanford said it was not just for supermarket shopping and could also be used for weekend DIY lists and Christmas shopping.

He said when users were at friends' houses and saw a wine or condiment they liked, they would be able to scan it and remember exactly which product it was the next time they shopped.

The app is free but Stanford said the team hoped to earn money by allowing brands to promote products through the app in their contextual aisle.

There will also be daily deals added to the app shortly and an Android version is in the works.