Shoeboxed - Low Tech solution for a High Tech World

Techcrunch has an interesting story about a start-up called Shoeboxed. This is a company where you mail in all your receipts and business cards and they scan/categorize them for you. You can then retrieve them for tax purposes, contacts, etc, etc.  The free version is where you scan them yourself with other plans based on volumes, if you want their pre-paid envelopes, etc.

Many echo-chamber living geeks will have a tendency to laugh at this service/company but when you think about the masses who a) don't have a scanner or b) don't know they have a scanner and then you add the brain dead easy process of stuffing receipts in an envelope, you can see the possibilities.

What's interesting to me is wandering the web site. Click on lots of various pages and you get generally the same message and call to action. It's well done.

And it is a loud message to you that start-ups making life easier or removing a pain point will usually have legs.

Comments

[Parand Tony Darugar]

I don't see why anyone would make light of Shoeboxed; it's an excellent service. And it's not just for people who don't have scanners - it's a time saver even for the most technically savvy.

Think about how much time it takes to deal with receipts, and think about how much your time is worth. Then take a look at how much Shoeboxed costs. It's a no-brainer.

I would actually call it a high tech solution for a high tech world - receipt management in the cloud instead of in a drawer under your desk.

[NickN]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the kind words. It was a real challenge to "talk less" and it took a number of go arounds before we reached something that (a) we were happy with and (b) customers responded to. It's nice to see someone pick up on the consistency and simplicity we aimed for with our messaging!
Regards
NickN
VP, Biz Dev @ Shoeboxed

[Rik]

Not really a reaction, just more of a heads-up: there's a Dutch bank that are offering a service like this to their clients, where an actual shoebox will be sent to you every month and you throw all sorts of financial information in there and they will sort it out.
Could be interesting: http://www.insinger.com/shoebox/

[vinai]

The website is very well done. The service model seems to be in transition. Would customers be willing to mail their receipts? Individuals, yes, but businesses would be vary. Also there has to be a more attractive value proposition to gain traction.