Eating healthy is, for most people, a chore, and the very last thing you want to deal with after a long day at work. There’s nothing tougher than trying to summon the motivation to concoct something healthy and nutritious when you’ve got that microwave meal tucked in the back of your freezer.
This is where Shoptimix comes in, a shopping-list app complete with food recommendations from nutritional experts and lifestyle gurus. Instead of a bar of chocolate, full-fat milk and a basket-full of carbs, Shoptimix tailors your shopping list to your own nutritional goals, health and lifestyle.
I caught up with Shoptimix co-founder and CEO Sergio Lazaro to find out how this bespoke shopping-list app came about, and where the future lies for his startup.
Where did the big idea for Shoptimix come from?
The idea started in NYC while I was studying an MBA at Columbia Business School. I used to cook a lot back then, and was trying to eat healthier. It was the time of the iPhone 4, and I saw a lot of brand-new apps come to life but there was nothing to help with the single biggest time-waster I had: grocery shopping. I thought there should be a better way of doing this, and started thinking about what my perfect experience would look like.
What’s the big problem that Shoptimix aims to solve?
Sergio Lazaro – CEO, Shoptimix
Shoptimix is the first shopping-list app that includes recommendations from nutritional experts to ensure users’ shopping lists are tailored to their health, dietary goals or lifestyle. It caters for several different nutritional goals and diets, such as energy-boosting, kids’ healthy eating, gluten-free, the Mediterranean diet, fertility, vegan and more.
We specifically research nutritional experts and team up with them to make sure the app provides great recommendations. Users can browse the expert lists and use them to build their own personal list. In addition, users can favourite expert lists to make the app flag recommended items as they browse the aisles.
Shoptimix was specifically designed to help manage grocery shopping. With a powerful built-in search engine that includes thousands of products, you can quickly build shopping lists, keep the usuals handy and make brand-new discoveries. You can also add participants to your lists, such as family or friends, to co-ordinate shopping.
Since Shoptimix started, what’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?
Some technology projects take longer to develop than others. Shoptimix is one of these projects, and the biggest challenge, so far, has actually been keeping the team motivated for long periods of time, delivering only versus internal deadlines before it all comes together. We managed to solve this by creating a great working environment where everyone knows how important their work is to the rest of the team.
Where do you see Shoptimix being in five years’ time?
In five years we want to be the go-to app for grocery-product information and advice. We want to help people not only build and share healthy shopping lists, but also to get grocery shopping done anywhere and in the fastest possible way, whether they’re at home or at the store. Maybe it’s very optimistic, but what we know for sure is that however far we take it, improving users’ shopping experience will always be our most important goal.
Is there one thing you wish you’d known before starting Shoptimix?
There are so numerous things we wish we had known. If I had to pick one, it would probably be the importance of recruiting the right talent. It’s easy when you work for a large corporation with a great brand, but not so much when nobody knows who you are. To anyone facing this problem, we’d recommend that they don’t give up and continue to look for the right candidates. It’ll be tough but it really pays off.
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