aisle411 is today launching its iPhone application for locating products in specific aisles and sections at retails stores. The application works at more than 600 stores in the U.S. and is meant to serve as a faster, more convenient way for shoppers to search and find items at stores.
Application users can type in product search queries or use the voice recognition technology, powered by Nuance, to search at participating stores. For each supported store, aisle411 also includes a comprehensive store map and store info, and UPC barcode scanning to pull up user-generated product reviews.
Generic product searches — double sided tape, for instance — will return search results that specify available types and brands. App users can then glance the section and aisle number for each result, select to map a product for navigational assistance or choose to add it to a shopping list.
Participating stores may also opt to include coupons and offers. The application surfaces Coupons.com offers available at stores, and highlights them in the offers portion of the app.
The service even includes a now ubiquitous checkin feature, so users can check in to stores, share their location with friends via Twitter and Facebook and earn badges and titles for their behaviors — think becoming the “Captain” of a particular store. These features seem a bit tired and unnecessary; if there’s a voice search or barcode scan, then there should be sufficient information for the service to automatically recognize that you’re at a particular venue.
aisle411 currently works at locations such as Home Depot, Schnucks Market drug stores and at Shop’n Save’s grocery chain. Obviously, the application is limited by the fact that its application only works at participating retailers.
The idea certainly has traction, apart from the copycat checkin features. We’ve already seen applications and services tackle location-based rewards and in-store barcode scans (Shopkick and Checkpoints come to mind), but solving the problem of locating products in stores feels fresh and will certainly be useful to lost shoppers.
aisle411 was founded in 2008. The company works with partner retailers to provide the in-store product search and offer experience; more retailers are said to be signing on with the startup on a daily basis. The aisle411 app is currently for iPhone only, but similar applications for Android and BlackBerry will be released in 2011.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Gavin St. Ours
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