Dairy Farmer's New App Helps Shoppers

A New Zealand dairy farmer has launched a new tool designed to combat the rising cost of living, helping shoppers navigate supermarket prices with ease.

Will Duff, who works on a dairy farm on the Taieri Plain near Dunedin, is the creative force behind CheckMyTrolley. Despite having no background in IT, Duff was driven to create the app after returning from a decade in Australia to find that grocery prices had become a major pressure point for many New Zealand households.

"People get thrown back quite a bit when I say I'm a dairy farmer and I'm not an IT person but I am the person behind the idea," Duff told RNZ.

After a social media post testing his theory received over 100,000 views, it was clear that many Kiwis viewed weekly grocery shopping as a stressful "part-time job." Duff partnered with a developer to build CheckMyTrolley, which allows users to create a digital shopping list and compare prices across different supermarkets to find the best deal on the day.

The app, which launched a few months ago on Apple devices with an Android version in development, is already making a tangible difference. Duff reports saving $148 on his own shopping in just one month using his invention. Dunedin student Lara Bishell, another user, says the app has helped her save $100 in the same period, allowing her to make more budget-conscious choices for her plant-based diet.

CheckMyTrolley enters a competitive landscape, joining existing apps like Grocer and Grosave, each of which boasts roughly 70,000 users.

Grocer developer Roc Wong, a software engineer, notes that his project began as a "side hobby" to collect price data. His research has revealed distinct pricing patterns for processed goods like chocolate and ice cream, which often fluctuate in a high-low cycle, whereas fresh produce prices remain more seasonal.

Meanwhile, Grosave, co-founded by Christchurch-based software developer Tim Hong, focuses on transparency. "There's this huge transparency issue for pricing, as we expand this we want to make sure people have a healthy and affordable diet," Hong said. Grosave data indicates that users save an average of 13 percent per shop, a potential saving of over $1,000 per year for a household spending $250 weekly.

These apps arrive as household budgets remain under significant pressure. Recent research from Consumer NZ highlights a major shift in consumer habits, with grocery costs now ranking as a top financial concern, surpassing both power and rent.

Gemma Rasmussen, head of research and advocacy at Consumer NZ, noted that consumers are increasingly turning to private-label brands to make their money stretch further. She added that online shopping serves as a valuable tool for discipline.

"Being able to compare your whole shop online can lead to some pretty significant savings", Rasmussen said, noting that online shopping helps consumers stick to a list rather than deviating once inside the store.

For developers like Duff, the motivation is simple. "If I can help New Zealanders save a little bit of money, I guess that's a success for me." (Reported by RNZ)