Moala, in her second year of business studies, lives with her parents and five siblings in South Auckland and is thankful for her good fortune.<\/p>\n
Maluhola Moala was delighted after winning a $10,000 grocery giveaway sponsored by Appetise app. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very very thankful,\u201d Moala said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still quite shocked because I watched the live draw on Instagram.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know receiving the vouchers has taken pressure off my mum and dad. Times are tough but the vouchers have certainly helped us out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family say they have saved between $100 and $150 a week by utilising the Appetise app.<\/p>\n
The Appetise app is helping thousands of Kiwis sort out meal time.<\/p>\n
Moala said the app was easy to navigate and because she cooks four times a week, between her studies and working part-time, she can grab what she needs from the supermarkets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can look up recipes and it will show which supermarkets have the best prices, plus if I have some of the ingredients at home, the app will take those ingredients away, which saves money,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Christchurch couple Elise and Toby Hilliam developed the Appetise app and said it was designed and launched in 2022 to save people money and time.<\/p>\n
Toby Hilliam told the Herald grocery prices were \u201cone of the biggest pain points for New Zealand families right now\u201d.<\/p>\n
Appetise developers Elise and Toby Hilliam from Christchurch. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
It was a free app, with no subscriptions, and he said it helped its users \u201cstretch their dollar further and put good food on the table\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe partner with food brands who want to better understand what people are cooking at home and what they\u2019re looking for in the supermarket,\u201d Hilliam said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially, we sit at this really interesting intersection of food, recipes, and shopping behaviour, and brands find that valuable. But the app itself will always be free for consumers. That\u2019s non-negotiable for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
App users also had access to thousands of recipes, step-by-step meal plans and suggested shopping lists.<\/p>\n
Hilliam said Appetise had more than 150,000 subscribers, including 70,000 in New Zealand and 80,000 in Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have direct integrations with all major supermarkets across Australia and New Zealand. Once you\u2019ve planned your meals, you can send your shopping list straight through to your supermarket and check out online. It\u2019s completely seamless,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The app is rated 4.6 out of 5 on online review platform Trustpilot.<\/p>\n
Feedback from a happy customer. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Hilliam said Appetise would soon launch a feature allowing users to create lists of items they regularly purchase and they would then be notified when such products were on special offer.<\/p>\n
A Consumer NZ spokesperson told the Herald that Appetise was similar to another app on the market, as well as supermarket loyalty cards.<\/p>\n
While it might highlight specials on the supermarket shelves, users had to be aware that once they joined an incentivised scheme they were signing away their shopping data.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way these incentives make money is they are using data and they sell to consumer goods centres,\u201d the Consumer NZ spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where companies… can see what goods are on demand and to an extent what price points they can charge.\u201d<\/p>\n