One Month of Private Beta: What Scout's First Users Showed Us

One month after opening private beta, we have enough data to say things that are real, not things we expected.

They use Scout differently than we imagined

We designed Scout for our own workflow: filter large batches once a week, sit down and process everything in one session. Many beta users do it differently. They filter small batches daily, 30-50 products at a time, during gaps between other tasks.

That changes how we think about UX flow. A "session" is not always a long sit-down. Sometimes it is 10 minutes on a phone while waiting for a shipment.

Mobile responsiveness moved to the top of the priority list.

The real reason users come back

We asked directly: "What made you open Scout a second time?" The most repeated answer was not speed or any specific feature. It was: "I did not have to open another Excel file."

That sounds simple. But when you are used to managing batches across 3-4 different files, having a single place for everything, even an imperfect one, creates a real difference in daily behavior.

The most requested feature: better export

After filtering a batch, users want to take the shortlist outside Scout. Send it to a supplier, save it to their own system, or share it with a team member. The current export feature is too basic.

We are rebuilding export over the next few weeks: proper Excel format, selectable fields, and a template ready to send directly to suppliers.

The feature used less than we expected: decision history

Decision history, the ability to see how you evaluated a product in a previous batch, is the feature we spent the most time building and had the highest expectations for.

In practice, users engage with it less than we anticipated. Not because the feature is not useful, but because most users are still on their first or second batch. Products have not resurfaced yet.

This means the feature's value will grow over time, not immediately. We are keeping it but adjusting the display so it does not take up space when there is no data.

What we did not do well

Onboarding: First-time users take an average of 15-20 minutes to understand how Scout works, even though the interface is not complicated. Most of that time is spent self-exploring rather than being guided.

We need a real onboarding flow. Not documentation, but an interactive walkthrough on first launch.

What is next in Q1 2026

Based on one month of feedback, here is the priority order:

1. Shortlist export: improved format and supplier-ready templates
2. Mobile responsiveness: make short filtering sessions work well on phones
3. Onboarding flow: interactive guide for new users
4. Basic margin feature: add landed cost fields directly inside Scout

Beta is still open. If you want to try it, request access here.