Price Checker App
Project Overview
The Price Checker App is a customer-facing mobile application that empowers shoppers to instantly verify product prices while shopping. By simply scanning a product's barcode, customers can access real-time pricing information, current promotions, and product details—enhancing transparency and improving the shopping experience.
The Challenge
In retail environments, pricing discrepancies can lead to customer frustration and erode trust. Customers often find themselves uncertain about prices, especially during sales or when shelf tags are missing or outdated. Traditional price check stations are often inconveniently located and create friction in the shopping journey.
The challenge was to create a mobile solution that would give customers instant access to accurate pricing information, support multiple store locations, and integrate seamlessly with existing pricing systems.
Key Features
Instant Barcode Scanning
The app features a fast, responsive barcode scanner that works with all standard retail barcode formats. Customers can scan products in under a second, receiving immediate price information without any waiting.
Real-Time Pricing Database
Prices are pulled directly from the store's real-time pricing database, ensuring customers always see the most current and accurate prices. This includes regular prices, sale prices, and any applicable promotions or discounts.
Multi-Store Support
The app automatically detects the customer's location and displays prices for their current store. Customers can also manually select different store locations to compare prices or check availability.
Promotional Pricing
The system clearly displays any active promotions, loyalty discounts, or special offers applicable to scanned products. This helps customers maximize their savings and take advantage of deals they might otherwise miss.
Technical Implementation
Built with React Native for cross-platform compatibility, the app delivers a native experience on both iOS and Android devices. The barcode scanning functionality leverages the device's camera with optimized image processing for quick, accurate scans.
Firebase provides the real-time backend infrastructure, enabling instant price lookups and seamless synchronization across the system. GraphQL powers the API layer, allowing efficient data fetching and reducing unnecessary network requests.
User Experience Design
The app was designed with simplicity as the primary goal. The interface is clean and intuitive, requiring no learning curve. Large, clear price displays ensure information is easy to read, even in bright store lighting conditions.
Accessibility was a key consideration, with support for screen readers, adjustable text sizes, and high-contrast display options to ensure the app is usable by all customers.
Results & Impact
The Price Checker App has improved customer satisfaction by providing instant access to accurate pricing information. The app has reduced price-check related inquiries at customer service desks and helped build customer trust through pricing transparency.