Meijer Find-It: Locate What You Need With Ease
by Joe White
August 27, 2010
You may remember our article on the American Museum of Natural History's iPhone application (AMNH Explorer), which uses an indoor positioning system to guide users through the grand museum in style.
Well, the idea seems to have caught on: as Engadget reports, the popular hypermarket, Meijer, is currently trialling an IPS-based app in four Michigan stores - and from what we've heard, the application sounds rather cool indeed.
Dubbed Meijer Find-It, the store's new app can guide users towards facilities (such as bathrooms), customer service, and "more than" 100,000 items within any one of the four stores being used for the trial. Developed by Point Inside (who's been working with IPS for some time now), the application is available in the App Store now for free.
And, as stated in the app's press release, both Meijer and Point Inside think they've created something great:
"We're very pleased about the launch of the Find-it mobile app," said Elizabeth Wilson, online/mobile marketing specialist for Meijer. "Meijer is always looking for ways to improve our customers' shopping experience. So we are truly excited to introduce technology that not only continues our company's tradition of innovation, but helps makes shopping more convenient and fun for our customers." "One of the most common questions every retail associate hears is 'Where can I find the...?'", said Jon Croy, co-founder and VP, Business Development for Point Inside. "As a retail thought leader, Meijer quickly understood the benefits of the Point Inside platform. Saving time, enabling self-service, and making sure shoppers don't leave the store without finding what they need is a win-win for both shoppers and retailers."Plus, once users have successfully located every item on their shopping list, the app can then point Meijer Find-It fans back to their car. Much like AMNH Explorer, Meijer Find-It doesn't use a tricksy 3G signal to point users towards the Lucky Charms. Instead, the app triangulates the handset's position using the variety of Wi-Fi points available in Meijer stores. This means that iPod touch users can also benefit from the application. So, if you live in the Michigan area, why not take a look at Meijer Find-It? The app is available right now in the App Store for free. And, if you decide to take the application out to buy the groceries with you, be sure to let us know how it works for you in the comments box at the bottom of this article! [gallery]
