Nov 17, 2010

Google brings local store availability to mobile phonesBy Katie Deatsch

Google Inc. announced yesterday it is now showing mobile phone and desktop users not only stores nearby that carry the items they are looking for, but also stores where the item is in stock.

Finish Line is one of the first to use the new Google feature called Local Availability. The mobile version of the tool is available in Google’s Android app called Google Shopper as well as on the mobile version of Google.com. The feature uses a smartphone’s GPS geolocation detection capabilities to recognize where a shopper is and show her nearby stores where an item is in stock so she doesn’t waste a trip. Shoppers also can enter a ZIP code if they want to search inventory in stores near a different location. For each store, Google offers directions, a map, a phone number and a link to the retailer’s web site.

The Local Availability feature in the Android app offers a few handy extras in the way a shopper can search for an item. App users can search by text, bar code scanning and voice. And for some items such as books and music, consumers can search by taking a picture of a product.

“Mobile shoppers want what they want, and they want it now,” says Sam Sato, Finish Line’s president and chief merchandising officer. “We are happy to team with Google to give mobile and desktop users a fast and easy way to find the shoes they want—in the right size and the right color—in stock now at their nearby Finish Line store. It’s a great way to bring customers to our stores for immediate shopping gratification and will take holiday shopping to a new level of ease this season.”

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