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White label barcode scanning comparison app Stripeylines gets official launch as Eurostat finds 64% of consumers using web to research purchases

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Stripeylines, the barcode scanning white label iPhone app from ecommerce company Portaltech, is now out in official v1.0. Originally launched at the end of 2009 in beta, StripeyLines comes along as a recent report by Eurostat finds that 64% of customers are using the internet to research a product and 50% of customers use the internet to browse before purchasing in store. This trend is only likely to grow, as a recent Admob report stated that 50% of phones in the UK will be smart by the end of 2010.

StripeyLines allows shoppers to instantly scan the barcode of goods in-store to compare pricing, or to check product and customer reviews. Shoppers can also use the app to create wishlists of products they want to buy at a later date, or share their new finds on Facebook and Twitter with friends and family.

Shoppers can even use StripeyLines to instantly link a scanned CD to iTunes and listen to that CD whilst in store. The customer then has the option to choose to buy in store, download straight to their iPhone from iTunes, or go to Amazon or Google to check pricing and customer ratings.

With StripeyLines 1.0, shoppers can synchronise everything scanned on their app, with http://stripeylines.com, allowing them to continue their research or buying frenzy at home, or over a cup of coffee in a local cafe.

Customers can use the Wishlist function to create their weekly food shopping list by scanning everything they throw away. Also handy for upcoming birthdays, keeping a track of ‘Stuff you want to buy’ when shopping, or for creating Wedding wishlists across multiple stores.

The service also offers instant links to Google and Amazin to find the best product deals or to read customer reviews and ratings, while the iTunes link allows customers to scan a CD and then listen to it through their phone. They can choose to instantly download it, select specific tracks, or choose to buy the physical copy in store. Customers can also use the Amazon or Google links to compare pricing, or find a store nearby that sells the same product.

iPhone users can share what they scan with their friends by using the Facebook instant link. StripeyLines will instantly post the picture to your page. Customers can also tweet about products they’ve been looking at. StripeyLines makes it easier to share and keep friends in the loop.

Selling everyday product on eBay also becomes quick and easy with StripeyLines; as the app fills in all the product details automatically, so the user can focus on selling.

Portaltech is reaching out to all major UK retailers to get involved in providing price and product data for StripeyLines. The company is keen to ensure that users of the application have all the latest retailer data, barcodes and pricing to inform their decision making process, turning browsers into purchasers.

Portaltech can also build retailer ‘plug-ins’ to provide “retailer specific” functions. This could be as simple as providing promotional pop-up ads or vouchers at point of purchase, or creating a brand building, or m-commerce plug-in for apparel retailers who want to cross-sell a look or collection.

“The plug-in feature on StripeyLines means that retailers don’t need to build their own iPhone application,” said Andrew Walker, CEO of Portaltech. “Instead we can just create a web application as a plug-in to StripeyLines, which is then beamed to the StripeyLines iPhone app. For example, if a wine merchant wanted to have an application that recommended wine based on what an iPhone user had scanned in a supermarket, all they would need to do is create a website that compared wines. The location of this website would then be beamed to the iPhone and when the user scanned some wine, StripeyLines would give them the opportunity to run the plug-in. And this system too, could be applied to any product category for cross-selling purposes.”

Portaltech believes that mobile will be an increasingly important channel in retailing. Rachel Wilkinson, Head of Brand & Retail at Portaltech, said; “Mobile phones are now being used for product information and browsing whilst shoppers are out and about or when sitting in a high street coffee shop. Retailers mustn’t ignore this adapting behaviour, or see price checking as a threat, but harness it. These are latent purchasers who simply need an enabler like StripeyLines to convert them from browsers to purchasers. Mobile phones and devices should be utilised to leverage this opportunity and to join up the multi-channel experience. We can help retailers to develop an engaging solution, whether that’s a standalone mobile commerce app or a plug in to StripeyLines.”

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