You've tried a shopping list app before. Maybe two. Maybe five. You downloaded it, set it up, added a few items, used it once or twice... and then went back to texting yourself "milk eggs bread" like you always do.
You're not lazy. The app wasn't bad. The problem is something more fundamental: friction. And until you solve for friction, no shopping list system will ever stick.
I know this because I live it. I built Donna because I kept forgetting everything — not just shopping, but tasks, deadlines, things people told me. I even tried hiring a kind of secretary, but the real problem was me forgetting to tell them things in the first place. I don't know the first thing about coding, but the problem was so real that I had to solve it. And the solution turned out to be embarrassingly simple: put it where I already am — WhatsApp.
Why Most Shopping List Apps Fail
Here's what happens with every dedicated shopping list app. You remember you need to buy something. Maybe you're in the middle of cooking dinner and you notice you're out of cumin. Or you're in a meeting and suddenly think, "I need to pick up birthday candles for Saturday."
Now the friction kicks in:
- You have to find the app. Where did you put it? Is it on your second home screen? In a folder? You haven't opened it in two weeks so it's buried somewhere.
- You have to open it and navigate. Which list? Personal or shared? The app has seven features you never use and a home screen that wants you to explore recipes.
- Your partner or flatmate won't use it. You installed it. They didn't. Now you're maintaining two systems — your app and a WhatsApp message that says "also get onions."
- The moment passes. By the time you've unlocked your phone, found the app, and opened the right list, you've either forgotten what you wanted to add or you've just decided to "remember it later." (You won't.)
This isn't a failure of willpower. It's a design problem. The best shopping list app in the world is useless if the cost of using it is higher than the cost of just... trying to remember.
The Best Shopping List Is the One You Actually Use
There's a principle in productivity that applies perfectly here: the best system is the one with the least friction. Not the one with the most features. Not the one with the prettiest interface. The one that you'll actually reach for in the moment you need it.
Think about where you already are on your phone. What app do you have open more than any other? For most of us, it's WhatsApp. You open it 50, 60, maybe 80 times a day. It's already there when you remember something. It's already open when your partner messages you.
So what if your shopping list just... lived there?
Not as a note-to-self that gets buried under 40 other conversations. Not as a pinned chat that you have to manually edit. But as a proper, managed list that you can talk to naturally — add items, check things off, see what's pending — all within a conversation you're already having.
How to Manage Lists on WhatsApp
This is where Donna comes in. Donna is an AI assistant that lives on WhatsApp. She manages your lists (and reminders, but that's another story) through natural conversation. No commands to memorize. No syntax to learn. You just talk to her like you'd talk to a friend.
Here's what it looks like in practice:
Adding items:
"Add milk and eggs to my shopping list" → Both items added instantly. If the list doesn't exist yet, she creates it.
Checking your list:
"What's on my shopping list?" → She shows you everything, with checkboxes.
Marking items done:
"Check off milk" → Done. Milk is crossed off.
Not just groceries:
"Add The Godfather to my movies list" → Works for any kind of list. Movies, books, gift ideas, anything.
The key insight is that you're already in WhatsApp. You don't switch apps. You don't navigate anywhere. You just type (or send a voice note — Donna understands those too) and it's done. The whole interaction takes three seconds.
That's what zero friction feels like.
Beyond Groceries: Lists for Everything
Once you get comfortable using WhatsApp for your shopping list, something interesting happens. You start realizing how many other things in your life are really just... lists.
- Movies to watch — that recommendation your colleague gave you at lunch? Add it before you forget.
- Books to read — saw an interesting title on Instagram? Two seconds to capture it.
- Gift ideas — your sister mentioned she liked that candle. Add it to "gifts for Priya" and it's there when her birthday comes around.
- Packing lists — build your travel packing list over a few days as things come to mind, rather than trying to think of everything at once the night before.
- Business ideas — shower thoughts, random sparks, "what if we tried..." moments. Capture them all.
- Restaurants to try — that place someone mentioned at dinner? It won't disappear into the void anymore.
This is essentially the "second brain" concept that productivity people talk about, but without the complex setup. You don't need Notion or Obsidian or a special app. You just need a place to dump things the moment they come to mind. And WhatsApp, combined with an AI that organizes it for you, turns out to be surprisingly good at this.
Here's something I've noticed from our users: 70% of all reminders set through Donna are recurring. People don't just want to remember one thing — they want systems that keep them disciplined. The same applies to lists. Once someone creates a shopping list, they usually end up with five more within a week. The pattern is the same everywhere: bring things in front of you when they're needed.
Shopping List Apps vs WhatsApp Lists: A Quick Comparison
Let's be honest about the tradeoffs. Here's how the three most common approaches compare:
| Approach | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated List App | Feature-rich, syncing, recipe integration, barcode scanning | High friction to open, partner needs to install it too, another app to maintain |
| Notes App | Simple, already on your phone, no download needed | No check-off, no reminders, gets buried among other notes, hard to share |
| WhatsApp + Donna | Zero friction, natural language, voice notes work, always accessible, free | No barcode scanning, no recipe integration (but honestly, did you use those?) |
The dedicated apps win on features, no question. But features you don't use aren't features — they're clutter. If you've tried a list app and stopped using it within a month, it's not because you lacked discipline. It's because the friction of using it outweighed the benefit.
The WhatsApp approach trades some bells and whistles for something more valuable: you'll actually use it. Every time. Because it's already right there.
Getting Started
There's no setup, no signup, no account to create. Here's literally all you do:
Step 1: Message Donna on WhatsApp
Step 2: Say "create a shopping list" or just start adding items directly: "add rice, dal, and tomatoes to my shopping list"
Step 3: There is no step 3. You're done.
Next time you're at the store, just ask "what's on my shopping list?" and there it is. Next time you remember something at 11pm while lying in bed, just type it or send a voice note. It takes less time than writing it on a Post-it — and you'll never lose it.
The trick to managing shopping lists isn't finding the perfect app. It's finding the system that disappears into your existing habits. For most of us, that system is already sitting in our pocket, pinging us with messages from friends and family all day long.
Might as well put it to work.