[Check out the devpost]

Remember the thrill of watching mom haggle like a pro at the market? Those nostalgic days might seem long gone, but here's the twist: we can help you carry out the generational legacy. Introducing our game-changing app – it's not just a translator, it’s your haggling sidekick. This app does more than break down language barriers; it helps you secure deals. You’ll learn the tricks to avoid the tourist trap and get the local price, every time. We’re not just reminiscing about the good old days; we’re rebooting them for the modern shopper. Get ready to haggle, bargain, and save like never before!

Back to the Market is a mobile app specifically crafted to enhance communication and negotiation for users in foreign markets. The app shines in its ability to analyze quoted prices using local market data, cultural norms, and user-set preferences to suggest effective counteroffers. This empowers users to engage in informed and culturally appropriate negotiations, without being overcharged. Additionally, Back to the Market offers a customization feature, allowing users to tailor their spending limits. The user-interface is simple and cute, making it accessible for a broad range of users regardless of their technical interface. Its integration of these diverse features positions Back to the Market not just as a tool for financial negotiation, but as a comprehensive companion for a more equitable, enjoyable, and efficient international shopping experience.

Back to the Market was built by separating the front-end from the back-end. The front-end consists of React-Native, Expo Go, and Javascript to develop the mobile app. The back-end consists of Python, which was used to connect the front-end to the back-end. The Cohere API was used to generate the responses and determine appropriate steps to take during the negotiation process.

During the development of Back to the Market, we faced two primary challenges. First was our lack of experience with React Native, a key technology for our app's development. While our team was composed of great coders, none of us had ever used React prior to the competition. This meant we had to quickly learn and master it from the ground up, a task that was both challenging and educational. Second, we grappled with front-end design. Ensuring the app was not only functional but also visually appealing and user-friendly required us to delve into UI/UX design principles, an area we had little experience with. Luckily, through the help of the organizers, we were able to adapt quickly with few problems. These challenges, while demanding, were crucial in enhancing our skills and shaping the app into the efficient and engaging version it is today.

We centered the button on our first try 😎 In our 36 hours journey with Back to the Market, there are several accomplishments that stand out. Firstly, successfully integrating Cohere for the both the translation and bargaining aspects of the app was a significant achievement. This integration not only provided robust functionality but also ensured a seamless user experience, which was central to our vision. Secondly, it was amazing to see how quickly we went from zero React-Native experience to making an entire app with it in less than 24 hours. We were able to create both an aesthetically pleasing and highly functional. This rapid skill acquisition and application in a short time frame was a testament to our team's dedication and learning agility. Finally, we take great pride in our presentation and slides. We managed to craft an engaging and dynamic presentation that effectively communicated the essence of Back to the Market. Our ability to convey complex technical details in an accessible and entertaining manner was crucial in capturing the interest and understanding of our audience.

Our journey with this project was immensely educational. We learned the value of adaptability through mastering React-Native, a technology new to us all, emphasizing the importance of embracing and quickly learning new tools. Furthermore, delving into the complexities of cross-cultural communication for our translation and bargaining features, we gained insights into the subtleties of language and cultural nuances in commerce. Our foray into front-end design taught us about the critical role of user experience and interface, highlighting that an app's success lies not just in its functionality but also in its usability and appeal. Finally, creating a product is the easy part, making people want it is where a lot of people fall. Thus, crafting an engaging presentation refined our storytelling and communication skills.

Looking ahead, Back to the Market is poised for many exciting developments. Our immediate focus is on enhancing the app's functionality and user experience. This includes integrating translation features to allow users to stay within the app throughout their transaction. In parallel, we're exploring the incorporation of AI-driven personalization features. This would allow Back to the Market to learn from individual user preferences and negotiation styles, offering more tailored suggestions and improving the overall user experience. The idea can be expanded by creating a feature for users to rate suggested responses. Use these ratings to refine the response generation system by integrating the top-rated answers into the Cohere model with a RAG approach. This will help the system learn from the most effective responses, improving the quality of future answers. Another key area of development is utilising computer vision so that users can simply take a picture of the item they are interested in purchasing instead of having to input an item name, which is especially handy in areas where you don’t know exactly what you’re buying (ex. cool souvenir). Furthermore, we know that everyone loves a bit of competition, especially in the world of bargaining where you want the best deal possible. That’s why we plan on incorporating a leaderboard for those who save the most money via our negotiation tactics.