Fewer, better things
On trusted recommendations, shopping rabbit holes, and surviving Christmas
Hello world!
People have been asking me what I’m working on, so I figured I should write a proper update.
In between relocating to France, raising a toddler, and preparing for baby #2, I’ve been obsessively cranking away on Shoptap.
Shoptap is a project about finding products worth treasuring and businesses worth supporting, guided by recommendations from friends, family, and trusted circles.
Many of us spend way too much time scrolling, reading reviews, comparing specs, and trying to figure out what’s actually good. And most of that hard-won knowledge disappears right after the purchase is made.
I am especially guilty of this. I have a tendency to go deep into shopping rabbit holes — most recently for outdoor slippers, a backyard playset, and an espresso-making setup. By the end, I have several spreadsheets’ worth of data, strong opinions, and no compelling way to share any of it.
How it started
I first sketched a version of this idea in a notebook back in 2010. Code-named “consumerly,” the premise was pretty simple: people know a lot about the products and brands they care about, and that knowledge should be easier to share.
At the time, the idea was way beyond my coding skills, so I set it aside and moved on to another project: making a map of college radio stations. That eventually became Soundtap, a crowd-sourced radio app for listeners tired of hearing ads.
Shoptap is a riff on that name, and in some ways on the same idea: using technology to tap into community wisdom and recover something more organic, more human, and more rewarding than the default.
So how does Shoptap actually work? I’ll explain the main features through three examples.
Quests: things you’re shopping for
Imagine you and your partner are shopping for a new couch for the living room, undeniably a very important decision.
In the olden days, it might have looked something like this:
You: “Hey babe, let’s try to look online at some couch options today.”
Throughout the day, you and your partner each have 30 browser tabs open and text each other links to 20 couches.
The following morning at the breakfast table:
You: “So what did you think of that green linen one? I think it’s my favorite.”
Partner: “Um, I think I liked that one. But maybe it’s not big enough? And how much was it? Do they ship?”
You: “Hmm, hang on, let me find the link.” <You proceed to not be able to find the link>.
With Shoptap, it looks more like this:
You: “Hey babe, I added you as a collaborator on a Couch quest.”
Partner, who’s at work: opens Shoptap, upvotes two options, adds a comment, adds a “length” field to the comparison grid.
The following morning:
Partner: “It looks like we both like the green linen one, and it’s the perfect size. Let’s go try it out this afternoon?”
This is what Quests are for: keeping track of options, gathering details, and turning scattered research into a decision.
As new homeowners, Roxie and I now use this for everything from bed frames to kitchen trash bins to lamps.
Collections: things you recommend
While we were expecting baby #1, we were inundated with lists, advice, and targeted ads for baby supplies. To avoid the overwhelm, we relied mostly on recommendations from family and friends about what we really needed.
Thankfully, a lot of our loved ones had recently been in the same boat and had lists ready to share with us by email or Google Docs. Recognizing the value of this direct experience, Roxie made her own “doc” soon after giving birth so she could share it with friends. You can now see that list on Shoptap.
For someone like Roxie, who is a “circles of trust” shopper, these kinds of lists are her lifeblood: lists of cookbooks, lists of kitchen tools that her favorite cookbook authors endorse, lists of cookbook authors her favorite kitchen tools endorse, and so on.
Google Docs and spreadsheets are incredibly useful, but they are a bit clunky for this use case. Collections are purpose-built for this kind of sharing. Instead of a boring Google Doc, why not make a blog-style list with photos, key details, context about your purchase, and your ongoing thoughts?
The goal is to make tried-and-true recommendations easier to create and easier to trust, without the feeling that someone is trying to sell you something.
Wishlists: things you want
Imagine it’s the holiday season and your family is composed of:
two parents who are particular about the gifts their kids receive;
two very picky people who don’t like receiving gifts, period; and
two people who love giving too many gifts to everyone.
Yes, this is the true story of my family at Christmas. And I’ll admit I’m in at least one of the aforementioned groups.
There is a bit of trauma associated with this most wonderful time of the year. We aren’t always all smiling by the end of gift unwrapping, despite our matching pajamas.
Roxie and I decided it would be an opportune time to pilot a new Shoptap feature to make the big day less stressful: wishlists, with the ability to secretly “reserve” gifts before buying them to keep it all a surprise.
It was a great success, with no tears shed by anyone over age 4.
We continue to use these lists all the time for gift ideas, birthdays, and general “oh, I should remember this for later” purposes.
Beyond convenience
The great thing about sharing a quest or collection is that you’ve created a little trove of information that might help someone similar to you. But Shoptap is not just about making shopping more convenient. It is about helping us be more intentional about what we bring into our lives.
What feels broken is how often we end up buying some questionable item on Amazon when there might be a small team somewhere, maybe even nearby, quietly innovating a better alternative.
Finding treasures online has become a chore in a world increasingly dominated by ads, spam, and AI. Shoptap is an attempt to make that process feel more human again: a place where we can shop smarter, together, and have fun while we’re at it.
Give it a try, if this sounds like your kind of thing
If you’re curious, I’d love for you to try it. Make a quest for something you’re shopping for, create a collection of gear you’ve accumulated for your latest hobby, or put together a wishlist, even if just as a reminder to treat yourself.
And if you do try it, please tell me what feels useful, what feels confusing, and what would make the experience more enjoyable.