I am like everyone else in the world trying to juggle many different balls in the air and have come to the realization that my iPhone can be used for many more things than just games, social media and email. Shopping lists are starting to show up in the AppStore more and more frequently because busy people need ways to help organize their busy lives. Yunasoft Inc. has entered into the Productivity section of the AppStore with their new app Grocery List – Marche, helping the user keep track of their wants and needs in the grocery store. Grocery List – Marche, French word for Market, has many great features which will separate them from other shopping lists in the AppStore.
Marche creates new shopping lists very easily. It readily recognizes most of the box stores, so after a few clicks it will complete the typing for you. Marche adds items easily with its ability to recognize and auto-fill 1700 items from its database, but note it doesn’t have brand recognition nor if the item isn’t in the database then it types it in black print, which can make it difficult to read under a store’s lighting. The list is categorized so you are able to move from department to department, making sure you don’t get to the bottom of the list and then remember that there is an item that is three aisles back. I like the settings feature, allowing you to set it fit your particular needs, whether you use the English or the Metric system so you can set your perimeters for your goods. I do think it has a little too much information. Most shoppers know specifically what brands and sizes that they like to purchase. When the secondary menu pops up with the “sizes” it makes the app a little clunky to use. Marche does keep track of all your regular purchases making them easy to add to future lists, which is a great time saving feature.
The pricing feature is interesting, allowing the user to enter quite a bit of detail about their grocery list and habits. I’m not sure how many shoppers have time to fiddle with the numbers, but I guess it’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. The strike through feature, as you fill your list, is one of the coolest graphics. I am one of those shoppers that like to take a pen and cross off my items off my list and this replicates this without the pen and paper hassle. As the shopping list is being filled it will also let the user know on the home screen, using a pie chart at the top, if there are more items still unpicked on the list. Another good feature is Marche has a neat Note drag-down menu. This is where I would make my notes about what size or specific brand that I need for a recipe or like, or perhaps I have a coupon tucked away that I will need at checkout, instead of the secondary popup menu when entering in a size or quantity of item. The drag down note could have been a little easier to access, but it’s there and once you start to use it you will be appreciative.
Marche allows users to sync with other devices, should you want to send your list to another user. It’s a nice feature should that be important to you. Perhaps you need to send a list to another family member to pick up something on their way from work or school. But, syncing the grocery list to another user would mean having to set up an account on their server. It comes down to asking yourself if you really want another cloud account to manage your groceries.
There are a couple of hiccups with Marche, but I am sure over time they will be smoothed out of the app. Marche can be somewhat cumbersome when trying to edit a list. As you are entering your items you don’t see the list and there is no way to tell if there is a double entry. The screen is a little too dark, but it’s more a personal preference than a problem with the app. Overall, Grocery List Marche will help you with the task of keeping track of your grocery and household needs. iPhoneGlance.com rates Grocery List Marche 3.5/5 stars.
App Details
Title: Grocery List – Marche
Price: $2.99 – £1.99
Category: Productivity
Developer: YanaSoft
