“New and Noteworthy” App To Boost Local Supermarkets, Retailers
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Okay you are in the store, grab the item that you plan to purchase, look at the price and only wonder if you are getting the best deal. I know that I’m not the only person that this happens to. At that moment there really isn’t any way to find out what other stores have that same item, and at what price.
For most of us it just seemed like this was just a fundamental flaw in shopping that must be dealt with. However, this Providence start-up felt differently. The solution is now here thanks to Bakodo, a company that is now turning iPhones into personal barcode scanners.
This recent addition to the App Store has more than a few iPhone users turning to their built-in cameras to help them shop. Bakodo Scanner, which uses the camera to scan barcodes, was a quick hit and ended its first week on the "What's Hot" and "New and Noteworthy" sections of Apple's online store. With hundreds of new apps being added to the AppStore daily, this is quite the feat.
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Bakodo Scanner is the first application released by Bakodo, a tech startup founded by Brown University graduate Andres Douglas, who envisions benefits to consumers and retailers alike.
"On one hand, shoppers now have more information at their fingertips than ever before, helping them make better decisions on-the-go," said Douglas. The scanning software works on all major barcode types, interfacing with established sites such as Google, eBay and Amazon, to provide detailed product information.
"On the other hand, retailers have the chance to communicate product offerings directly to consumers at the most relevant time: when a purchase is imminent." This refers to an upcoming feature that will allow users to expand Bakodo's existing product database with information relating to any product they scan. This would give the smaller, more local stores that may not already have a website or other online offerings the opportunity to compete with larger retail chains.
After releasing the app on June 11, the team at Bakodo has since set its sights on grocery items. Douglas also announced that very soon users will get nutritional information and related reviews when scanning food or drink products.
"But I'm most excited about our plans to revolutionize grocery shopping itself," he added.
By working with area supermarkets to license customized versions of the app, he plans to streamline grocery shopping down to a few simple scans. Users will be able to scan product containers upon finishing them to automatically compile a grocery list, which the supermarket could pre-assemble for pickup or even local delivery.
What is Douglass’s advice in the mean time? "Get the app while it's hot!"
You can download the Bakodo Scanner here.
Growing out of a project for the RI Business Plan Competition, Bakodo was founded in 2009 to discover new ways of using barcodes to add value to the world. The Providence-based tech startup fields a team of young innovators who bring experience from world-renowned institutions. For more information about Bakodo, please visit the company's website at www.bako.do.
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