Hoefnagel Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle Club: AI-powered peer-to-peer library for high-end jigsaw puzzles

A nation-wide library of high-end jigsaw puzzles (wooden, laser-cut and hand-cut) that uses AI to tell people to whom they should ship their puzzles next, minimizing operations costs. Over 1,000 different jigsaw puzzles by 30+ puzzle companies.

When the pandemic hit, demand for puzzles skyrocketed, but there just wasn't enough puzzles. But most people after they finish a puzzle just put it in their closet, totally inefficient! High-end jigsaw puzzles are mostly made of wood, and they stay nice for a few puzzlings, so they are a great object for sharing. The big blocker was shipping costs, which we solve for Hoefnagel Puzzle Club by using AI and software to enable member-to-member shipping (rather than sending puzzles back to a home base, then sending them out again). Member-to-member shipping halves the shipping costs and removes the handling costs at a home base. It's taken a lot of work to optimize how the puzzles flow, but we're now running pretty smoothly, and the more members we get, the easier it gets thanks to network effects!

It's been fun building the puzzle collection, which you can browse on the site! And it's been fun building the sharing-economy business! Shipping is expensive, so the trick of peer-to-peer shipping really add value.