Community challenges

[raphodn]

Idea

The idea of periodic challenges emerged during the OFF Days 2024.

These kinds of challenges find good success in the OpenStreetMap community, with either MapRoulette or the monthly projects (link in french) organized by OSM France.

In order to inform contributors and to track progress, we could imagine a dedicated page.

In the app

https://prices.openfoodfacts.org/challenges

Examples

see below

Reuse-driven

Find ideas that will nudge some users to reuse the data, or help an NGO gather data.

Related issues

• A page for community challenges 🏆  open-prices-frontend#934

[raphodn]

@DamienMAYAUX mentioned a "price collection" challenge to help compare your co-op's prices with surrounding shops

• restrict on a list of shops to go to
• restrict on a timespan (start & end date)
• possibily restrict on a list of products or categories

And have a dashboard that lists user contribution, products still missing, possibility to export data.

[raphodn]

First challenge

Hazelnut spreads

[raphodn]

Analysis ?

• Analyzing how price evolve geographically (for the same distributor) or depending on the distributor would be interesting in my opinion
• If Prices data can be linked to OFF data we could determine if the % of hazelnut in the spread is linked to the price
• Can spreads be clustered by price ? Like is there a cheap cluster vs a high end cluster ? Are there outliers with regards to ingredients in these clusters (e.g. a product with palm oil and lots of sugar in the high price cluster) ? We could make a cool graph with logos
• Most prices are in France, with Candlemas (La Chandeleur) landing in the middle of the challenge. The tradition is to eat crêpes to celebrate. I've noticed stores pushing crêpes related products, such as spreads, and was wondering if we could observe an effect on prices (Discounts vs increase to match the demand ?)

[raphodn]

ChatGPT 4

1. Price Distribution & Trends
   Histogram of Prices: Show the distribution of hazelnut spread prices across different regions and stores
   Price Evolution Over Time: analyze price changes over time of the challenge
   Outliers & Anomalies: Identify unusually high or low prices and potential reasons (e.g., promotions, incorrect entries)
2. Geographic Price Variations
   Regional Price Differences: Compare hazelnut spread prices by country, city, or even neighborhood (if location data is detailed enough)
   Heatmap of Prices: Visualize price differences geographically using a heatmap
   Store-Type Comparison: Compare prices in supermarkets, convenience stores, discount stores, etc.
3. Store & Brand Analysis
   Price Variation by Retailer: Identify which stores offer the lowest and highest prices
   Private label vs. hazelnut spread: using available data on alternative spreads, compare pricing strategies
   Size & Packaging Effects: Look at the price per kilogram across different hazelnut spread sizes (e.g., 200g, 500g, 1kg)
4. Inflation & Economic Indicators (not Challenge-specific, as it's too short a timeperiod)
   Compare with Inflation Rates: If you have historical data, see if Nutella prices follow general inflation trends.
   Correlation with Economic Events: Check if Nutella prices respond to factors like supply chain disruptions, cocoa/hazelnut price fluctuations, or economic downturns.
5. Citizen Behavior Insights (not Challenge-specific, as it's too short a timeperiod)
   Price Sensitivity: Do people report more prices when they see a discount?
   Effect of Promotions: Identify if clusters of low prices indicate promotional campaigns
   Peak Reporting Times: Check if price submissions are seasonal (e.g., around holidays)
6. Data Quality & Contribution Analysis
   Data Completeness: Are there missing data points (e.g., missing stores, regions, etc.)?
   User Contribution Patterns: Identify top contributors and potential duplicate entries
   Verification Rate: If multiple contributors submit the same store’s price, how often do they match?

[raphodn]

Challenge ideas

• milk vs milk substitutes (OFF days 2024)
• find top products in OFF
• average basket products
• products for ongoing research projects ?

[TTalex]

• Treasure hunt for specific products / brands (partnership with producers / stores ?)
• Match some current news (Example with Trump administration and the price of eggs https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/28/economy/trump-inflation-price-promises/index.html)

[Freso]

it's summer! ice cream (incl. vegan/non-dairy ones) and/or sun screens?

[serpico]

Based on my own observations, something seems to be going on in the raclette's market ( branded products on sale in a designated zone of the supermarket week in, week out and this week even the marque premier prix is on sale at a 25% discount ( anti-gaspi )....

So a community challenge could be an opportunity to get a bigger sample.

I also take the opportunity to say I'd love to get some deeper insights into why some price cycles happen ( I'm no economist ) and I feel open-prices lay the foundation to allow that but so far I don't know who to turn to...( blogger, social media,...).

I've read about mvark in a recent OFF's blog post ( apparently he played/plays with stats on the nutritional side of things ) so I was thinking about asking him for his take...

[raphodn]

Top products sold

[raphodn]

Product Name,Barcode,Price
"Eau de source plate CRISTALINE","3274080001005","1.14"
"Eau de source état naturel Cristaline","3274080005003","0.19"
"COCA-COLA 1,25","5449000267412","1.65"
"COCA-COLA 1,75","5000112611861","2.03"
"RED BULL 25cl","9002490205973","1.09"
"COCA-COLA 6*33cl","5449000283900","3.69"
"VOLVIC 6*1,5l","3057640257858","3.24"
"CRISTALINE 12*50cl","3254381204312","1.92"
"Hepar 6x1l","7613035974692",""
"CRISTALINE 50cl","",""
"Vitel 6*1,5l","7613036249935","2.94"
"Coca-cola 1l","5449000054227",""
"HEINEKEN","3119780268696","1.19"
"MONSTER ENERGY","5060335632302","1.60"
"Président DOUX 250g","3155251205500","2.75"
"Evian 6*1,5l","3068320120263","3.72"
"Tropical OASIS","3124480191182","2.09"
"PERRIER 6*1l","7613035833289","3.90"
"Mozzarella GALBANI","8000430138719","1.25"
"Ice Tea pêche LIPTON","5900497611503",""
"BAVARIA Original 8.6","8714800038669","1.45"
"MONT ROUCOUS 6x1l","3257971091316","3.12"
"Harrys 100% mie","3228857000852","1.75"
"Pepsi max 1,5l","",""
"SOIGNON 200g","3523230028431","2.25"
"DESPERADOS Original 50cl","3119780266401","2.81"
"COCA-COLA Zero 1,75l","5000112611878","1.79"
"Pains au lait PASQUIER 350g","3256540000698","1.49"
"Camembert PRESIDENT","3228021170039","1.89"
"HERTA 170g","3154230809302","2.29"

[raphodn]

April : add photos & prices of "green" products (packaging 📗)

[raphodn]

Non-food products (cosmetics, DIY stuff) to add new products to the OxF DB

[raphodn]

Would require a way to create new products easily from Open Prices

[raphodn]

And tricky to validate prices for "unknown" products

[raphodn]

New upcoming challenge: Summer !
🌞 ice creams & sun screens 🌞

[Freso]

🤭 i wonder where that idea came from 😇

[raphodn]

September : "back to school" 📚

[raphodn]

October : Halloweeeen 🎃