Milo.com announced a new Android app today for local shopping. The company claims this is the only app available in the Android Market that will search the inventory systems of local stores in real-time and tell shoppers (while they’re on the go) what’s currently in stock , where, and which local stores have the best prices.
You can see why consumers would find such an app helpful, and you can probably see why local stores would to. This can be a powerful tool for getting customers in the door, while they’re already out shopping.
The company recently told WebProNews that Milo.com gets over a million unique visitors, has tracked 2.8 million products, and is growing by an average of 185,000 items per month. In addition to that, the site also has inventory data for over 50,000 stores and covers 30,000 communities across the U.S.
"According to the U.S. Census Bureau, e-commerce currently accounts for less than 5 percent of U.S. retail sales, with the rest of sales still conducted offline," the company told us. "Milo.com is poised to own this trend, projected to amount to almost 40 percent of total retail sales by 2011 – a $1 trillion market."
The Android app uses geo-location technology to identify a user’s location and return product results based on coordinates.
"Because our users are top of mind, we knew that launching a Milo mobile app would be instrumental before the holiday shopping season—it’s ideal for both the time-strapped and price-conscious shopper," said Jack Abraham, founder and CEO of Milo.com. "Say you see the perfect pair of fall boots walking down the street. We’ll not only show you local stores that carry them, but we’ll make sure they’re available in the size and color you want, so you don’t waste a trip. And we’ll do the same for all those hot holiday toys that are just starting to hit—and fly off—your local store shelves."
Milo.com also gives users alerts notifying them when a price falls or a product becomes available.