QMUL law student develops digital receipt app

BillHive will enable shoppers to receive receipts via their smartphones to keep them all in one place and co-founder Simone Fattouche hopes it will revolutionise the way we shop.

The third year law student says users will be able see the receipt on the app, print it, share it and even access in depth analytics of your shopping and spending habits.

“I developed the idea for BillHive after purchasing a jacket from a high street store that I wanted to return only to find that I’d lost the receipt. I was told that my only option was store credit but as a student I want cash, I certainly don’t want store credit,” said Simone.  

“I thought there must be a better way and just so happened to be registered for 3 Day Start Up (3DS) at QMUL. I decided to use 3DS to test the idea out,” she added.

“During the three days I learnt exactly what it takes to execute a business idea effectively. You soon realise the importance of conducting thorough market research and understanding the pain point (real or perceived problem) that your particular product or service tries to rectify.  You also begin to understand the importance of surrounding yourself with a great team, which is probably the most valuable lesson.”  

After pitching her business idea and picking up valuable feedback Simone also used qLegal, a free legal advice service at the university, as well as the careers and enterprise team and now she and her partners are focused on securing their first round of funding, launching the app and developing partnerships with retailers.  

“I went into the Queen Mary Careers and Enterprise office in September with just an idea and with their support I’ve gone from having what was just an idea to an actual product to launch,” she said.

Apart from the benefit of storing all your receipts in one place the app will also help save paper.

“Ultimately I want to eliminate all paper receipts. We owe it to the environment; let’s practise what we preach,” said Simone.  

For more information head to billhive.co.uk, or look it up on Facebook and Twitter @BillHive.