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IdeaRoast Analysis
Q:A mobile app that scans receipts to automatically identify price drops eligible for refunds and match purchases to available cashback and rebate offer...
The Roast
"You've just described Fetch Rewards, Ibotta, and Receipt Hog's lovechild—except you're planning to build it solo with zero distribution advantage. The receipts are already being scanned; you're just optimizing someone else's data goldmine."
Reality Check
Market Saturation
9/10
Skill Match
5/10
Time Realism
3/10
Revenue Potential
2/10
đź’€ Why This Fails
- • Massive incumbents (Fetch, Ibotta, ShopkickM) already own merchant relationships + user base
- • Requires constant merchant/rebate database updates—expensive & time-intensive
- • Monetization is brutal: retailers pay for *engagement*, not refunds (eats your margins)
âś… The Pivot
Pivot to B2B: Build a **receipt OCR + price comparison API** for SMB e-commerce platforms or warranty/returns software companies. You own the tech layer, they own the users. Less sexy, way more defensible.
Current Idea
2/10 — Incumbent Graveyard
Pivoted Idea
6/10 — Unsexy But Viable