Receipt Marketplace

Introduction of Receipt Marketplace

At Constructor Academy, students in the Full-Stack Program wrap up their learning journey with an intensive capstone project. After mastering frontend and backend technologies, databases, and DevOps, they are challenged to build a fully functional, real-world application from scratch.

One standout project from this cohort is Receipt Marketplace, an AI-powered mobile app that helps users scan, analyze, and score grocery receipts to compare product prices and shop smarter. With a focus on real-time market comparison and personal budgeting, this app empowers consumers to make data-driven decisions every time they shop.

Students: Philippe Giavarini, Nomi Lang, Andrea Lombardo, Smriti Kumari, Kristina Emer

 

Overview

Receipt Marketplace is designed to solve a simple but impactful question: Are you getting a good deal at the grocery store?
By uploading a photo of your shopping receipt, the app extracts each product, compares it against average market prices, and shows you whether you got a bargain or overpaid, all in real time. It also keeps a searchable history and highlights where each product is cheapest at the moment.

The Problem

Consumers often lack price awareness due to:

• Constant fluctuations in product prices
• Limited transparency between different stores
• A few convenient tools to track and compare spending over time

As a result, shoppers frequently:

• Overpay without realizing it
• Struggle to track historical price data
• Miss out on potential savings

How Receipt Marketplace Solves It

• Receipt Upload & AI Analysis: Users can snap a picture of their grocery receipt. The app uses OpenAI's language model to extract and analyze data, comparing each item’s price with the average market rate — all within seconds for instant feedback.
• Product Scoring: Each product receives a score based on how competitively it was priced compared to other stores, providing users with a quick way to assess their spending efficiency.
• Price Comparison by Store: Users can see the lowest and highest prices for each product across supported supermarkets. This helps them decide where to shop next and reveals consistent price differences between retailers.
• Purchase History: Receipts are stored digitally and can be reviewed anytime, with comparisons to past prices and trends — helping users track spending habits over time.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, JavaScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS, DaisyUI
• Backend: Django REST, Python, OpenAI API, Nominatim API
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Deployment & CI/CD: Docker, DigitalOcean, GitLab
• Development Tools: VS Code, PyCharm

 

Outlook

The team has ambitious plans to enhance the app’s capabilities:
AI Model Improvements
Transitioning from a general-purpose OpenAI model to a specialized or multi-agent system for improved analysis.
 

Add Chart Visualizations

Adding interactive charts to visualize trends over time and compare products across stores.
 

Web Scraping Bots

Automating supermarket data collection with robust error handling and validation. This needs to be checked with the respective retail chains.
 

Store Expansion

Integrating more chains like Denner, Manor, Aldi, and Lidl to offer broader price comparisons.
 

Conclusion

Receipt Marketplace is more than just a receipt scanner — it's a smart shopping assistant that fosters financial awareness and consumer empowerment. Backed by AI and a talented development team, it's poised to become an essential tool for budget-conscious households