In operation today the new digital price comparison platform PosoKanei, which aspires to be the main tool for informing consumers about prices in supermarkets. The platform is already available both through the posokanei.gov.gr address and through application for mobile devices, which has already been posted in the electronic application stores. It is presented today to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, while later its detailed presentation will follow from the political leadership of the Ministries of Development and Digital Governance.
The first tour of the new service shows that it is more than just a price comparison tool. Its database currently includes 7,973 products from at least ten supermarket chains, while the user can track a history of changes per product and by chain, create shopping lists and, for the first time, compare prices with the European Union average.
At the same time, the platform allows the comparison of the total cost of a shopping basket between different chains, the search for cheaper alternative products, but also the monitoring of price developments at a depth of about two months. According to the data already available, prices are updated daily, while the product base will be renewed every three months to incorporate changes recorded on the market.
Almost 8,000 products in six categories
PosoKanei's database currently includes 7,973 products, which are distributed into six main categories. Food is the largest category with 4,810 codes, follow drinks with 1,172 products, personal care with 1,011 products and cleanliness with 1,015. The platform also includes 235 baby items and 187 pet products.
Behind the nearly 8,000 codes are a total of 36 product subcategories. Food includes pasta, legumes, rice, dairy, cheese, frozen products, sausages, snacks, chocolates and breakfast products. In drinks you find coffee, teas, juices and refreshments to alcoholic beverages, while personal care and cleanliness categories cover products for hair, body, oral hygiene, detergents, stationery and household cleaners.
The composition of the database is of particular interest. The largest subcategories are basic cooking materials with 871 products, bakery and breakfast items with 842 codes, dairy with 592 products and frozen food with 496. It is no coincidence that the largest categories concern products of everyday consumption and high-frequency purchases, which shows that the design of the platform aims to cover as much of a household’s standard basket as possible. In drinks, alcohol products stand out with 339 codes and coffee with 266, while in personal care the largest presence is hair and body care products.
Product selection has been made based on Circana data for most popular products by category. However, the database is not static. According to the information provided by the platform itself, the codes will be updated every three months to reflect changes recorded in both consumer habits and market composition, while prices are updated daily directly by the chain's computer systems.
From the first test of the platform it appears that at least AB Vasilopoulos, Sklavnitis, Lidl, My Market, Masuti, Galaxia, Cretan, Market In, Chalkiadakis and SYN.KA chains are included, covering essentially most of the country's organized food retail market.
The platform also includes private label products, but without going into direct matching between different chains, as it considers that they are not always entirely comparable in terms of their characteristics and specifications. At the same time, users may report products not included in the database, contributing to its gradual enrichment.
On the contrary, most fresh products, such as fruit and vegetables, as well as categories where origin, variety or special characteristics are currently difficult to match between different chains and markets. In fact, according to the specifications of the service itself, prices concern mainly the electronics of chains and not necessarily the physical stores.
How prices compare
Product search can be done either through the platform categories or by typing directly the name of a product. Unlike e-katanalotis, which operated primarily as a current price projection tool, the new system incorporates additional functions such as history of changes, comparison of shopping basket and international price comparisons.
The mobile phone version also features the ability to search through barcode scanning, allowing the user to directly locate a product even within the store.
For each product the platform aggregates the prices of all chains in which it is available, classifying them automatically from the lowest to the highest. At the same time, the value per kilo or other unit of measurement is shown to allow for objective comparison even between different packages.
The system automatically points to the lowest available price with a specific indication ‘Best Price’, while next to each offer the date of last updating of the data is shown. So the user may know not only which chain is cheaper at the moment, but also how recently this price has been updated.
The possibility of viewing the price per kilo, litre or other unit of measurement is particularly useful, which allows more accurate comparisons between products of different weight or volume. At the same time, with just one click the product can be added to a shopping list for a later comparison of the total cost of a basket between different chains.
Price history by product and chain
One of the most important new functions of the platform is the ability to monitor historical price developments. For each product the user can see how his price has changed at a depth of about two months, through interactive graphs updated daily.
This possibility is not limited to the average price of a product. The platform also allows price monitoring per supermarket chain separately, enabling the consumer to find out when the price of a product was increased or reduced in a particular retailer.
At the same time, the user may choose which chains he wishes to appear on the chart, removing or adding data depending on his interest. Thus it can directly compare two or more chains and monitor the timeless course of their prices.
In practice, this function allows consumers to better assess offers they meet on the market. Through the price history they can find out whether a discount corresponds to a real decrease or whether the product price has been increased in advance, thus obtaining a more comprehensive picture of the changes recorded on the market.
Price monitoring is not limited to the Greek market. The platform attempts to expand comparison beyond the country's borders.
Comparison of prices with the European Union
For the first time in a corresponding state application, PosoKanei allows prices for specific products to be compared to the European Union average. The operation mainly concerns international brands and products that have been matched to corresponding codes sold at international electronic supermarkets.
The comparison is not limited to a simple photo of the moment. For each product, the evolution of the average price in Greece and the European Union is presented, allowing the user to monitor whether the distance between the two markets is widened or limited over time.
This function aims to give a more documented basis to the timeless debate on whether the same products are sold more expensive in Greece than other European markets. For the first time consumers gain access to comparable data through a public platform, without having to look for prices on their own in online stores abroad.
For the data to be as comparable as possible, prices are presented per kg or another unit of measurement, avoiding distortions that may arise from different packaging sizes in individual countries.
According to the platform's information, the European database is powered by electronic supermarkets of countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus, while it is planned to expand gradually with new markets and additional product matchings.
It is also of particular interest that VAT can be displayed or not when comparing prices, giving the user a more comprehensive picture of what part of the differences is due to taxation and which retail prices themselves.
The platform itself acknowledges that the product matching process is ongoing, as many products do not circulate on all European markets or are available in different packages. For this reason, users are given the opportunity to propose new products and links from online stores abroad, contributing to the further enrichment of the database.
The “smart” shopping cart
In addition to comparing individual products, PosoKanei enables the creation of personal shopping lists, turning the platform into an integrated tool for organizing a household's weekly or monthly basket.
Users can create up to five different lists, each of which may include up to 50 products. For each product there is the possibility to add quantities, modification or deletion, while lists are stored locally on the user's device without the need to create an account.
The special feature of the operation is that the platform does not just compare product prices one by one. It automatically calculates the total cost of the basket in each supermarket chain, while showing how many of the products on the list are available in each case.
In this way the consumer can find out not only which chain is cheaper overall, but also which covers most of his markets. This information is of particular importance when some products are not available in all chains or when the lowest total costs result from a different product combination.
At the same time, through the 'Search for me cheaper' function, the platform proposes alternative products of the same category at lower cost, allowing the user to recalibrate his basket and consider possible savings.
In practice, this function converts PosoKanei from a simple price monitoring platform to a market programming tool, enabling consumers to compare different scenarios before deciding where to carry out their purchases.
What users should know
Access to PosoKanei is made through the posokanei.gov.gr address, without the need to create an account or register personal information. According to the service's privacy policy, shopping lists are stored locally on the user's device and are not kept in a central database.
The platform also provides communication with the management team to report incorrect prices, products that do not appear in the database, technical problems or suggestions for improvement. Accordingly, users can also contribute to enriching the European database by proposing products and links from foreign online supermarkets.
According to information provided to the service itself, the platform does not collect location data or require user identification to use its basic functions, while using anonymous statistics to monitor operation and traffic.
Whether PosoKanei will actually evolve into the main price monitoring tool for Greek households will be judged in practice and whether consumers will integrate it into their everyday lives. The first picture, however, shows a clearly more sophisticated platform than its predecessor, with emphasis not only on price comparison but also on market organisation, market change monitoring and price transparency.