# Homebound Grocery Gadgets Hiku by Rob Katcher Makes Sure Nothing is Forgotten at the Supermarket By Meghan Young | Published 2012-10-02 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hiku-by-rob-katcher References: [fastcodesign](http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670879/kickstarting-a-gadget-scans-groceries-straight-to-a-cloud-based-shopping-list) & [kickstarter](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/934651649/hiku-lets-simplify-the-way-we-shop) It is not all that uncommon for people to return home from the grocery store only to realize that they forgot something; Hiku by Rob Katcher hopes to change that. Although there are already a slew of [apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tredish) with the sole purpose of avoiding such annoying situations, the idea of opening it up and typing out a list can be just as frustrating. Hiku by Rob Katcher offers a much more streamlined and intuitive system of keeping track of groceries. A small handheld device, a person simply needs to scan the barcode of a product or speak its name and it will be stored on a [cloud-based](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/itemlist) [shopping list](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/relist) that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. It was created in collaboration with Manu Chatterjee. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.0/10 - Popularity: 15% | Activity: 36% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 30% men, 70% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Food](https://www.trendhunter.com/food) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Streamlined Grocery Tracking:** Using handheld devices for streamlined and intuitive tracking and shopping experience. - **Barcode Scanning for Cloud-based Shopping Lists:** Digitizing shopping lists through barcode scanning and voice recognition technology. - **Personalized Grocery App Development:** Developing personalized grocery apps to optimize the shopping experience. ### Who This Affects Most - **Retail:** Retail industry can leverage barcode scanning technology to optimize user experience and digitally transform the in-person shopping journey. - **Tech:** Tech industry can innovate voice recognition technology to facilitate shopping experience for an even wider range of consumers. - **Consumer Goods:** Consumer goods companies can use personalized grocery app development to collect customer data, optimize marketing strategies and drive sales. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Smart Shopping Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bleep-list.md) - [Customizable Shopping Management Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/handytote.md) - [Navigational Grocery Store Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/speed-grocer.md) - [Smart Shopping Lists](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/to-the-shop.md) - [Collaborative Grocery Planners](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/simple-grocery-list.md) - [Smart Shopping Assistants](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/listize.md) - [Grocery Spending Trackers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/foodkart.md) - [Smart Grocery Shopping Support](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smartchef.md) - [Shopping List Organizers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/potato-shopping-list.md)