The need for Bulk add-to-cart functionality

The general method of ordering items from a grocery app is as follows:

a) On the spot decisioning:

In the scenario, you will usually look for all that is missing in your fridge and kitchen shelves and then order items. This does not involve list making and is more a on-the-spot sequential activity of discovering of what is missing.

1. Check what items are missing
2. You discover that beans, peas and tomatoes are missing
3. So you go to the app and search for each items separately. You will enter ‘Beans’ in the search bar, look for the results, order the right looking beans — then go back to the search bar, type in ‘peas’ and repeat the whole process.

The process continues as you keep discovering items which you would like to buy.

b) List making:

As most people do, herein you create a list of what’s missing in 1 go and then order it from the app. You take each item on the list, enter it in the search bar, select from the product listing page, go back to the search bar and so on..

In both the above methods, there is a tremendous amount of time and effort that goes into something as simple as groceries. Groceries which are frequently ordered. Groceries which don’t change (only once in a while would you decide to try exotic veggies!)

I, particularly, find ordering groceries to be a pain and a hassle.

To resolve this, I believe its high time that there is a functionality to add items to a cart directly from a list.

How would the flow work?

1. Take a snap of the list you have created. This can be a screenshot if you are using a list taking app on the phone or a list on a piece of paper
2. Upload the picture on the search bar of the app
3. The app, via OCR, reads what all has been written on the list and directly adds it your cart.
4. You cross-check your cart, do the payment and voila — Grocery done in 3 steps!

Would love to hear thoughts on why this hasn’t been tried yet and if anyone is planning to do so in the future!