The problem
Neighborhood retail runs on commission-based delivery platforms that take 15–25% of every order, or on no digital layer at all. Suppliers and small retailers need a fulfillment and ordering system that doesn't erode already-thin margins, and shoppers in dense neighborhoods need ordering that doesn't require typing a structured product search on a small screen.
The concept
Groser is a flat $2.9/month hyperlocal retail operating system rather than a commission marketplace: buyers order by voice, photo, or text; suppliers bid and fulfill from a unified order book; and retailers get a dashboard built for local network effects rather than platform lock-in. The bet is that hyperlocal density creates a defensible local monopoly a global commission platform can't easily undercut.
Available today
A real Supabase + PostGIS backend with live Gemini-powered ordering is running:
- Multimodal ordering — a buyer can speak, type, or photograph a shopping list, and Gemini extracts a structured order from it.
- Supplier bidding — a unified order book where suppliers price and accept orders through a real-time bidding flow.
- Admin coverage intelligence — a live coverage map computed from a PostGIS nearest-supplier function, plus KYC approval and forensic order logs.
- Built-in safety rules — prohibited-item blocking, a hard lock on prescription-only items, and a language-normalization gate, enforced as named rules in the ordering pipeline rather than left to manual review.
- A rider dashboard for manual job acceptance and an Android distribution path via a Trusted Web Activity shell.
Upcoming features
Planned next, ordered by what the flat-fee model depends on most:
- Wallet & Payments — an in-app settlement layer; today, settlement happens off-platform.
- A branded ad platform for CPG suppliers — today, only self-serve supplier promotions exist.
- Live GPS rider tracking with ETA — today, navigation is a static map link.
- Push notification delivery — the client and database trigger exist; the sending service is not yet deployed.
- A connected marketing-site contact/pre-registration flow and a live AI chat widget on the marketing site — both currently static.
Who it's for
- Neighborhood retailers wanting a digital order book without a commission cut.
- FMCG suppliers and CPG brands wanting local distribution and, eventually, in-app advertising.
- Local consumers who want to order by voice or photo instead of a structured app search.
Platform and stage
React + Vite client, Supabase (Postgres, PostGIS, Auth, Realtime, Storage, Edge Functions), Gemini for multimodal order extraction, Cloud Run + Bubblewrap for Android distribution. Stage: GTM Ready — the ordering, bidding, and admin core are real and running; settlement, advertising, and live tracking are the near-term build.