Complete Wikonomi User Guide

How to use Wikonomi

Wikonomi helps people in Papua New Guinea share, discover, compare, and verify local store prices. This guide walks you through every main feature, from searching for prices to bulk uploading a full business inventory.

🔎

Find prices faster

Search products, brands, shops, or supermarkets and compare what people have reported.

📍

Use real locations

Prices can be attached to store locations so shoppers know where to go.

Trust the community

Ratings, photos, comments, edits, and deletion votes help improve accuracy.

🏪

Help businesses be found

Businesses can list products, prices, locations, and inventory for local discovery.

Quick start

The fastest way to understand Wikonomi.

Step 1

Search first

Use the search box on the homepage to look for a product, brand, supermarket, store, or market.

Step 2

Compare results

Check the latest reported price, business, date, photo, rating, and location before deciding where to shop.

Step 3

Contribute back

Add a price, rate a report, leave a comment, or correct outdated information so the community becomes more useful.

Who should use Wikonomi?

Shoppers: find cheaper prices and avoid wasting time going from shop to shop.

Businesses: list products online so customers can discover what you sell.

Communities: build a living database of local prices for everyday goods.

Researchers and advocates: observe price patterns, cost-of-living pressure, and market differences.

Create an account

You can browse public information, but an account gives you the full community features.

What an account lets you do

  • Add new price reports.
  • Add businesses to the database.
  • Rate price reports and businesses.
  • Use your shopping list.
  • Watch products and receive notifications.
  • Edit your own submitted information where allowed.
  • Help moderate wrong or duplicate data.

How to sign up

  1. Click Sign Up in the top navigation.
  2. Create your account details.
  3. Log in whenever you want to contribute, rate, comment, or save items.
Tip: Use a clear username because your public contributions help other users judge how active and reliable the community data is.

Understand price analysis

Price details help you see whether a price is cheap, normal, or expensive.

When Wikonomi has enough reports for a product, the platform can show useful comparison information such as the lowest, highest, and average reported prices. This helps you understand whether a listed price is unusually cheap, unusually high, or close to the community average.

Lowest price

Useful when you want the cheapest known option. Always check the date and location.

Average price

Useful for understanding the normal market range for that product.

Highest price

Useful when checking whether a store is charging much more than others.

How to read price analysis properly

  • A cheaper price is only useful if the report is recent and the shop is reachable.
  • Different package sizes can make prices look different, so check photos and notes.
  • Promotions and sales may be temporary.
  • If a price looks wrong, comment, rate it lower, edit it if you can, or mark it for deletion.

Use locations and the map

Location data makes price information practical in the real world.

When viewing prices

  • Use the map to see where prices were reported.
  • Check whether the store is near you before travelling.
  • Look for clusters of prices around shopping areas.
  • Use nearby price details to compare options around a selected report.

When adding prices

  • Select the business first if it already has a default location.
  • Use your current location if you are physically at the store.
  • Click or tap the map to set the location manually.
  • Use the correct store branch when possible.
Best practice: If you are uploading prices for a business, set the correct store location once. Future prices for that business become more useful when the location is consistent.

Add a price report

A good price report should be clear, recent, and easy for another shopper to verify.

How to add one price

  1. Click Add in the top navigation.
  2. Select Add Prices.
  3. Upload up to five photos if you have them.
  4. Enter the product name. Choose an existing product if it appears, or type a new one.
  5. Enter the business name. Choose an existing business if it appears, or type a new one.
  6. Select a category and subcategory where relevant.
  7. Enter the price and currency.
  8. Add tags such as sale, wholesale, or supermarket.
  9. Set the location using the business default, your current location, or the map.
  10. Add notes if needed, then save.

What makes a strong report?

  • Clear product name and brand.
  • Correct package size or quantity in the notes.
  • Accurate price and currency.
  • Correct store or branch.
  • Recent photo of the price tag, shelf, receipt, or product.
  • Precise location when the business is new.

Avoid these mistakes

  • Do not mix different sizes as if they are the same product.
  • Do not guess prices from memory if you are not sure.
  • Do not add a business name without checking spelling.
  • Do not upload blurry photos if a clearer photo is possible.
  • Do not use a location far away from the actual store.

Add and use business profiles

Business profiles help shoppers discover stores and see the prices linked to them.

How to add a business

  1. Click Add in the top navigation.
  2. Select Add Business.
  3. Enter the business name.
  4. Choose the industry or business type.
  5. Select a subcategory if available.
  6. Add optional details such as opening hours, services, contact information, or notes.
  7. Upload a business image if available.
  8. Save the business.

What a business profile is useful for

  • Showing all prices connected to that store.
  • Helping shoppers find local businesses online.
  • Giving small businesses visibility without needing a full ecommerce site.
  • Allowing customers to rate and discuss business information.
  • Making bulk inventory uploads easier for businesses.
For businesses: Treat your Wikonomi profile like a public product discovery page. Keep names, categories, and inventory prices clean so customers can find you through search.

Bulk upload prices with CSV

Best for businesses or users who want to add many prices at once.

How bulk upload works

  1. Open the bulk upload page.
  2. Download the CSV template.
  3. Fill in product names and prices, one product per row.
  4. Add optional currency, notes, and tags.
  5. Enter the business or store name that applies to the uploaded items.
  6. Set the shared store location on the map.
  7. Upload the CSV file.
  8. Review the preview carefully before confirming.
  9. Fix any invalid rows before final upload.
Column Required? Use
product_name Yes Name of the product or item.
price Yes Numeric price, for example 45.00.
currency No Currency code. If empty, the platform can default to PGK.
notes No Extra detail such as size, brand, discount, or condition.
tags No Comma-separated labels that make searching easier.
Business warning: Do not upload messy inventory. Clean product names matter. For example, use consistent names like "Trukai Rice 10kg" instead of switching between "rice 10", "Trukai 10kg", and "10kg rice".

Use your shopping list

Plan your shopping and estimate what your list may cost.

What you can do

  • Add custom shopping items manually.
  • Add products from product or price pages where available.
  • Tick items off when bought.
  • Delete items you no longer need.
  • See an estimated total for unchecked items.

How to use it well

  1. Add the items you plan to buy.
  2. Search each item to compare store prices.
  3. Use the estimated total as a guide, not a guarantee.
  4. After shopping, add or update prices you actually saw.
Open Shopping List

Rate price reports and businesses

Ratings help the community know what information is reliable.

How to rate

  1. Open a price report or business page.
  2. Find the community rating section.
  3. Select 1 to 5 stars.
  4. You can adjust your rating later if your view changes.

Suggested rating meaning

  • 5 stars: clear, recent, accurate, and useful.
  • 4 stars: mostly reliable with minor missing details.
  • 3 stars: useful but needs more evidence or clarity.
  • 2 stars: likely outdated, unclear, or incomplete.
  • 1 star: probably wrong, misleading, or not useful.
Fairness matters: Rate the quality of the information, not whether you like the business or the person who posted it.

Watch products and use notifications

Watchlists help you follow products you care about.

When to watch a product

  • You buy the product often.
  • You are waiting for a better price.
  • You want to know when other users add new reports.
  • You want to track changes in staple goods like rice, fuel, tinned fish, or cooking oil.

How notifications help

  • Alerts can point you to updates that need your attention.
  • You can check when watched product prices change.
  • You can respond faster to suspicious or useful new reports.
  • You can mute notifications when they are no longer useful.
View Notifications

Edit prices and understand history

Prices change. Wikonomi is built so the database can improve over time.

When to edit a price

  • The store price has changed.
  • The original report has a typo.
  • The product details are incomplete.
  • The photo needs to be improved.
  • The location, category, or notes need correction.

How to edit

  1. Open the price report page.
  2. Use the edit option if it is available to you.
  3. Update only what needs to change.
  4. Add a note or photo if the change could be disputed.
  5. Save the updated report.

Why history matters

Edit history protects the community from silent changes. It helps users understand how price data has changed over time and gives the platform a better record of market movement.

Rule of thumb: Do not overwrite useful old information with vague new information. A clear old report is often better than a careless new report.

Use comments for clarification

Comments turn a price report into a useful discussion when details are unclear.

Good reasons to comment

  • Ask whether the price is for a specific size or brand.
  • Confirm whether a sale is still active.
  • Add extra context about store branch, stock, or opening hours.
  • Point out that the report may be outdated.
  • Thank contributors for useful information.

Commenting rules

  • Be specific and factual.
  • Do not insult businesses, users, or staff.
  • Do not spread rumours.
  • Use comments to improve the data, not to argue.

Fix wrong, duplicate, or outdated data

Community correction is what keeps Wikonomi useful.

If the price changed

Add a newer price report or edit the existing one if editing is available.

If details are unclear

Leave a comment asking for size, brand, photo, branch, or date clarification.

If it should be removed

Use the deletion request option and explain why. Another user may need to confirm.

When to mark a report for deletion

  • The report is a duplicate.
  • The product does not match the price.
  • The price is obviously fake or impossible.
  • The business is wrong and cannot be corrected properly.
  • The report contains inappropriate or harmful content.

Best practices for accurate price data

The better the input, the more powerful Wikonomi becomes for everyone.

Do this

  • Use clear product names.
  • Include brand, size, and quantity.
  • Take a photo where possible.
  • Use the exact store or branch.
  • Add notes for specials, discounts, or limited offers.
  • Update prices when you notice changes.

Avoid this

  • Guessing or posting old prices as current.
  • Mixing similar but different products.
  • Using vague names like "rice" when the brand and size matter.
  • Adding a store location that is only approximate when you know the exact place.
  • Posting personal attacks in comments.

Example of a good report

Product: Trukai Rice 10kg

Price: PGK 65.00

Business: Stop & Shop Boroko

Notes: Shelf price, taken today, normal white rice bag.

Photo: Clear photo of shelf tag and product.

Location: Store location pinned correctly on the map.

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers for new users.

Are Wikonomi prices guaranteed to be current?

No. Wikonomi is community-driven. A report tells you what someone saw and shared. Always check the report date, rating, notes, and photo before relying on it.

Can I add a price without a photo?

Yes, but photos make reports more trustworthy. A clear photo is especially important for expensive items, disputed prices, promotions, and products with different sizes.

What if the same product has many names?

Use the clearest product name you can. Include brand and size. The platform can work with product matching, but clean naming still produces better search and comparison results.

Can businesses upload their full inventory?

Yes. Use the bulk upload page, download the CSV template, fill in your products and prices, set the store name and location, then preview the upload before confirming.

What should I do if a report is fake or wrong?

First, add a comment or lower rating if it is unclear. If it is definitely wrong, duplicate, or inappropriate, use the deletion request option and explain the issue.

Why should ordinary shoppers contribute?

Because every useful report makes the database stronger. One person adding one price helps another shopper save time, compare options, and make a better buying decision.

Ready to help build PNG's price database?

Search before you shop. Share what you see. Correct what is wrong. The more people contribute, the more useful Wikonomi becomes for everyone.