App-solutely brilliant! New app helps Woolworths and Coles shoppers find the best deals!
- Replies 10
In an era where every dollar counts, Australian shoppers are always on the lookout for ways to stretch their budgets further.
With the cost-of-living crisis putting a strain on many households, two enterprising Australians have transformed their personal money-saving strategy into a digital solution that's capturing the attention of savvy shoppers nationwide.
The new app, UpUp, is the brainchild of Trevor Lu and Laurent Tu, who have taken their budgeting spreadsheets, and turned them into a powerful tool to help families find the best deals at Woolworths and Coles.
The concept is simple yet brilliant.
UpUp allows users to compare prices on their grocery items between the two supermarket giants, ensuring they can secure the lowest prices without the hassle of visiting multiple stores or scouring through catalogues.
The app is a game-changer for those who want to save money, but lack the time or resources to manually compare prices.
‘Laurent and I both come from working-class families where being mindful of our spending was ingrained in our attitudes towards money from childhood,’ Trevor said.
‘I was also swept up in the tech industry layoffs last year and was cutting back on major expenses—I literally had a spreadsheet comparing the prices of items in the same shopping basket from Coles and Woolies.’
‘After seeing how much I was saving, we realised we could turn this into something that could have a meaningful impact for so many families who are struggling through this cost-of-living crisis,’ he added.
Laurent also piggybacked on this, saying, ‘We often hear about a few big weekly half-price specials, but there are actually so many more great deals that are buried in catalogues or only promoted on shelves.’
‘The problem is people don’t have time to create a spreadsheet like this every week. Our idea was to use software and AI to do this for them, removing the painful parts of the process, and unlocking savings for people on a weekly basis.’
The response to the soft launch of UpUp on social media was overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of shoppers expressing their excitement and providing valuable feedback.
On the app, shoppers can input their shopping list, and UpUp will calculate the total cost at Woolworths, Coles, or a combination of both for the maximum savings.
It even has a notification system to alert users when their favourite products go on sale, and a ‘specials’ tab to highlight additional discounted items.
‘We’re finding that just knowing which supermarket to shop can easily save users $5-$10 on a weekly basket,’ Laurent said.
‘And if you’re optimising for the best of both worlds, it’s upwards of $10-15. Over the course of a year, that adds up to hundreds of dollars—over $1,000 for big families—and, for the people who are doing it toughest, that’s just as much as the new stage three tax cuts.’
The duo, based in Sydney, reviews the prices weekly to ensure the data remains current. They plan to introduce state-specific information to cater to a wider audience.
Trevor and Laurent's app arrived at a critical time when supermarkets are under scrutiny for price gouging.
‘The supermarkets are walking a tightrope right now, balancing a lot of public criticism with their obligations to shareholders,’ Laurent said.
‘At the end of the day, those pressures will have the most significant impact on them. Our goal is just to help people find the best deals that are already out there; even if prices drop in aggregate across the sector, there will still be savings to be made, and we’ll be there to help our users find them.’
By empowering consumers with information, UpUp could encourage greater pricing transparency and competition between Woolworths and Coles.
Trevor and Laurent mentioned that they are consistently refining the app based on feedback from customers to enhance the user experience. The app is currently accessible for download on both the App Store and Google Play Store.
Aside from UpUp, there are also other supermarket apps that could help you save money from grocery shopping.
Some apps focus on planning your grocery shopping and where to find the best prices, while others help you save money and reduce food waste.
Will you be using the UpUp app? Do you have other recommended apps to save money while grocery shopping? Let us know your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.
With the cost-of-living crisis putting a strain on many households, two enterprising Australians have transformed their personal money-saving strategy into a digital solution that's capturing the attention of savvy shoppers nationwide.
The new app, UpUp, is the brainchild of Trevor Lu and Laurent Tu, who have taken their budgeting spreadsheets, and turned them into a powerful tool to help families find the best deals at Woolworths and Coles.
The concept is simple yet brilliant.
UpUp allows users to compare prices on their grocery items between the two supermarket giants, ensuring they can secure the lowest prices without the hassle of visiting multiple stores or scouring through catalogues.
The app is a game-changer for those who want to save money, but lack the time or resources to manually compare prices.
Laurent Tu created the UpUp app to help shoppers compare prices between Coles and Woolworths and find the best deals. Credits: Google Play
‘Laurent and I both come from working-class families where being mindful of our spending was ingrained in our attitudes towards money from childhood,’ Trevor said.
‘I was also swept up in the tech industry layoffs last year and was cutting back on major expenses—I literally had a spreadsheet comparing the prices of items in the same shopping basket from Coles and Woolies.’
‘After seeing how much I was saving, we realised we could turn this into something that could have a meaningful impact for so many families who are struggling through this cost-of-living crisis,’ he added.
Laurent also piggybacked on this, saying, ‘We often hear about a few big weekly half-price specials, but there are actually so many more great deals that are buried in catalogues or only promoted on shelves.’
‘The problem is people don’t have time to create a spreadsheet like this every week. Our idea was to use software and AI to do this for them, removing the painful parts of the process, and unlocking savings for people on a weekly basis.’
The response to the soft launch of UpUp on social media was overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of shoppers expressing their excitement and providing valuable feedback.
On the app, shoppers can input their shopping list, and UpUp will calculate the total cost at Woolworths, Coles, or a combination of both for the maximum savings.
It even has a notification system to alert users when their favourite products go on sale, and a ‘specials’ tab to highlight additional discounted items.
‘We’re finding that just knowing which supermarket to shop can easily save users $5-$10 on a weekly basket,’ Laurent said.
‘And if you’re optimising for the best of both worlds, it’s upwards of $10-15. Over the course of a year, that adds up to hundreds of dollars—over $1,000 for big families—and, for the people who are doing it toughest, that’s just as much as the new stage three tax cuts.’
The duo, based in Sydney, reviews the prices weekly to ensure the data remains current. They plan to introduce state-specific information to cater to a wider audience.
Trevor and Laurent's app arrived at a critical time when supermarkets are under scrutiny for price gouging.
‘The supermarkets are walking a tightrope right now, balancing a lot of public criticism with their obligations to shareholders,’ Laurent said.
‘At the end of the day, those pressures will have the most significant impact on them. Our goal is just to help people find the best deals that are already out there; even if prices drop in aggregate across the sector, there will still be savings to be made, and we’ll be there to help our users find them.’
By empowering consumers with information, UpUp could encourage greater pricing transparency and competition between Woolworths and Coles.
Trevor and Laurent mentioned that they are consistently refining the app based on feedback from customers to enhance the user experience. The app is currently accessible for download on both the App Store and Google Play Store.
Aside from UpUp, there are also other supermarket apps that could help you save money from grocery shopping.
Some apps focus on planning your grocery shopping and where to find the best prices, while others help you save money and reduce food waste.
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