I saw my local shopkeeper writing things

The shopkeeper at the local grocery store was doing his daily business when the reporter, while chatting with him, noticed something unusual. Instead of recording customer purchases on a paper diary, he was writing them down using a diary and a pen. This inspired the reporter to think about how this simple but effective system could be improved.

This led to the creation of ShopKaro, a mobile app designed specifically for Indian kirana shops (small grocery stores). The app replaces the traditional paper diary with a digital system that records sales by simply tapping on a product icon. This is especially useful in areas with unreliable internet connectivity and limited English literacy among shopkeepers.

ShopKaro uses a simple drag-and-drop interface where a tap on a product tile records a sale. The app works offline and syncs once the internet connection is restored. Products are entered manually or scanned using the phone's camera, and an AI model named Gemma converts the Hinglish text into proper sale entries. The app also includes features like weekly reorder lists and revenue reports to help shopkeepers manage their inventory more efficiently.

The app is built using SvelteKit for the frontend, Go for the backend API, and PostgreSQL for data storage. It offers an affordable subscription model of around ₹99 per month, which is more affordable than the high costs of traditional billing apps. The reporter believes that open-source AI models offer a more cost-effective solution that respects a shopkeeper's privacy.

The reporter introduced the app to the very shopkeeper who inspired its creation. Though he initially found it a bit confusing, he appreciated the idea and agreed to test it out. The reporter's goal is to make ShopKaro accessible and affordable for all small kirana shops in India, ultimately reducing overstocking and improving inventory management.