Price Comparison Apps: Demonstrating Cost Leadership and Empowering Consumers

Over the past couple of months we’ve discussed a variety of usage scenarios in the retail industry where smartphone-based barcode scanning is being integrated into mobile apps. Today we’ll continue this discussion by looking at the price comparison usage scenario.

Price Comparison for Retailers and E-tailers: Bane or Benefit?

Price comparison apps act as a tool for consumers to identify where they can purchase a product at the lowest cost. It’s no secret that price comparison apps benefit some retailers and e-tailers while hurting others. If you’re in a cost leadership position in your industry or within a geographic area, price comparison apps can drive business to your stores and enhance customer loyalty in your community. On the other hand, if you sell higher priced products or have emphasis on serving a market that will pay a bit more for service, price comparison apps could work against you. It should also be noted that price comparison is a very broad category and these apps come in all shapes and sizes, with a variety of features. Here are some typical product-related features that can be included in price comparison apps:

–          Customer Reviews

–          Deal Delivery

–          Origin and Manufacturer Information

–          Nutritional Information

–          Political Information

As a starting point, all price comparison apps need to identify some product. To do this app developers must have access to a product database with UPC identifiers as well as a way to search this database for a certain product. Instead of having a user manually entering a product name or UPC number, many price comparison apps have integrated a barcode scanner.

Integrating Barcode Scanning and Product Data into your Price Comparison App

A variety of price comparison apps utilize Scandit’s lightning fast Barcode Scanner SDK and/or comprehensive Product API to deliver a seamless product identification experience to users. Here are some examples of apps that utilize our technology:

Price Comparison Apps Using Scandit

By adding Scandit’s Barcode Scanner SDK and Product API to your app you can also ensure that consumers have a quick and engaging way to interact with real world products. Scandit’s Product API provides access to a massive product database featuring identifying UPC data from over 25 million products, while our barcode scanner provides the cross-platform reliability and non-autofocus device support necessary to work across the largest possible range of Android and iOS devices. Watch the video to get a sense of the user experience:

Build a Price Comparison App

So you’re convinced, it’s time to build app—what needs to happen next?

1)      Decide if you want to build the app in house or hire a solution provider to build one.

2)      Decided which platforms you’d like the app to run on.

3)      Assess which systems you need the app to work with. How will you assemble or access a product database? (Scandit’s Product API is a great start for your product database).

4)      Identify the features you need, and find the best software components for the job.
(Our Barcode Scanner SDK and Product API are perfect for price comparison apps).

5)      Build and test your app (or watch it being built).

6)      Deploy and Enjoy.

Need help making a decision? Our sales staff is here to help. Contact us for more information.

Stay tuned for more usage scenarios including a close look at the Healthcare Industry coming soon!