Family grocery management system

Abstract

Grocery shopping, a common household chore, can be a big event as well as a tedious task for a family. Many families have to do grocery shopping regularly, for example, once a week. Some may find it time consuming while some may face different kinds of problems during grocery shopping. Common problems include shoppers may forget what to buy; they may not be sure whether the item is worth buying or they may not know what to buy to make up the amount for free delivery. In order to solve these problems and to make grocery shopping more convenient and enjoyable, a PDA application called Grocery Shopping Assistant and a web-based Family Grocery Management System are proposed in this project. PDA has been widely used in different areas like industry, e-commerce and education due to its mobility and functionality. Web-based system also grows rapidly in recent years because it is very convenient to users as they can access the system anywhere anytime. Besides enabling shoppers to solve some common problems arising during grocery shopping, the aims of this project are threefold. First, this project aims to provide a system that allows family members to create shopping lists that can incorporate the requests and needs of individual members. Secondly, with the provision of a number of useful functions, the system aims to enable all family members to manage their family grocery inventory in a more convenient and collaborative manner. Lastly, the system can learn shoppers’ shopping habits and give personalized suggestions and predictions to them, and therefore, enabling shoppers become smart shoppers. To sum up, it is hoped that through the use of information technology, through the PDA application and the web-based system designed in this project, a family can carry out grocery shopping more smartly and conveniently as well as in a more collaborative manner. So, grocery shopping can become a family chore that is enjoyed by all family members.