Philip McNamara forwarded me an article in Checkout Magazine that describes a here-to-for un-described feature of ShopSavvy. The article explains,

The main benefit for the retailer here is generating new customers for his store, however, there are other benefits too. For example, the retailer can access trend data on what products are being searched for regionally and across the country (there have been 40,000 searches in the last two weeks alone [in Ireland] – with beer and wine top of the list), allowing them to tailor their inventory to match demand. The ShopSavvy app also links in with EPOS (electronic point of sale) systems, so it autmatically matches what is actually available.

ShopSavvy’s integration at the EPOS level means we get the very best and most accurate data available. Working with our partners in Europe by Q2 of 2011 we will have better local retailer coverage in the EU than the US (and that is saying something).

UPDATE: Blumai, the developer, has removed the app from the market. Here is the email I received:

Hi Alexander,

Thank you for reaching out to me. Our firm wasn’t aware that there was another product on the AppStore called Shop Savvy. We performed our sanity checks by using the iTunes submission process. I took a look at your app and it feels rather different but I do understand and respect the importance of building and maintaining a brand. As such I’ve asked our guys to take down the app and rebrand our product under another name. I hope you have a great day.

Kind Regards,
Peter Lai

Apple has approved a competitive shopping app in the iTunes store called Shop Savvy. First, I couldn’t believe that Apple would approve a competitive app with the same name as ours. Second, I couldn’t believe that Blumai, the app developer, would release an app using our trademark. Finally, I am livid that neither Apple or Blumai will agree to remove the app. Blumai mission is to ‘create novel and interactive user experiences on the iPhone and Android platform’. What is so novel about ripping off our name to promote their app? Take a look:

Of course it would be one thing if we were simply claiming a common law trademark, but we actually went through the trouble and expense to register ShopSavvy as a trademark: Reg. No. 3,618,894 as seen here:

I guess I need call our lawyer and get the legal process started. Like I needed this today…

We were excited that the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation selected ShopSavvy as a resource for their Paralysis Resource Center. ShopSavvy was selected to because it makes life easier for individuals living with paralysis and ensures that “nothing is holding you back from conquering the world”.

I guess I never really thought of ShopSavvy like that, but there is a wealth of information about local inventory and store location/contact information that might make life just a little bit easier for someone living with paralysis.

Here in our office we have a dynamic map that shows product scans in real-time and the image of Halo: Reach has been showing up a LOT. In the last day or so, more than 250,000 consumers used ShopSavvy to scan the barcode on Microsoft’s latest installment – Halo: Reach. According to Todd Bishop sales topped $200 million in the first 24 hours.

In Dallas (according to ShopSavvy), the best price on Halo: Reach are:

• Sam’s Club at $49.86
• CostCo at $52.78
• Ritz Camera at $58.94
• Everyone else at $59.99

On web(according to ShopSavvy), the best prices on Halo: Reach are:

• Sam’s Club at $49.86
• Newegg at $49.99
• CostCo at $52.79
• GameFly 52.99

We, like most Android developers, get at least one or two requests each day from a new alternative ‘Android Markets’ to include ShopSavvy. These alternative markets ask us to a) create an account, b) upload our APK and c) keep the APK updated. If we had unlimited resources we could assign this task to an engineer who would manage these alternative markets, but in the real world often times we forget to update our app in over a hundred+ places when we update our app. The way ShopSavvy is designed today it looks for updates itself and when it finds them it pushes the user to the Android Market to update his app – i.e. regardless of where he downloaded it from. So our users aren’t screwed when they download our app from an alternative market and we forget to update it. This is good for everyone except the alternative market provider. I have a proposal:

If you run an alternative Android market you should create an automated process (after you get permission from a developer of course) to download the APK from the official market. Your process should continuously monitor the market for changes and when you detect an update download the new APK. This way developers can keep their app current in one place – the official Android Market – and you can ensure you have the most current version of the apps you are selling/offering in your alternative market. This way developers don’t have to create an account and you can get even more apps in your store (i.e. because you removed the inertia of creating an account and the burden of keeping it up-to-date).

Lots of ShopSavvy users have asked us to release a standalone QR Code Reader so I asked one of our barcode scanner SDK licensees to build a simple QR Code Reader using our SDK. It took him about an hour to put it all together (it took Apple three weeks to approve it). All it does is read QR Codes (it does have a banner ad at the bottom providing a link to ShopSavvy). ShopSavvy users should remember that ShopSavvy reads QR codes as well as 1D UPC/EAN codes found on products. You don’t really need two scanners. Anyway, feel free to download (it is free) from iTunes.
We have talked about our QR Code program before, but I thought it was worth a mention. The adoption of two-dimensional barcodes in marketing and advertising has been hampered by proprietary standards. Too many companies have spent too much time attempting to monetize a very simple, but powerful feature. Ironically, there has always been an alternative, open standard called a Quick Response or QR Code. Anyone can generate a two-dimensional QR Code pointing to any website for free. Additionally, millions of mobile phone users already have QR Code capable readers like ShopSavvy®.

The biggest problem with QR Codes is that American consumers don’t know what a 2D barcode is. They need some help understanding how to react to a QR Code printed on a billboard or in a magazine advertisement. Our ‘Scan with ShopSavvy’ program was designed to solve this problem. Millions of ShopSavvy users already use the application to scan 1D barcodes, but many of them have no idea that ShopSavvy will scan open standard 2D barcodes (i.e. QR Code), but they do understand the concept of scanning.

Our ‘Scan with ShopSavvy’ program allows brands to leverage our ‘trained’ user base by including our ‘Scan with ShopSavvy’ badge anywhere they print a 2D barcode. Consumers can use ANY QR-capable scanner (50+ today), but the program attempts to short circuit the call to action by showing the user he can use an application he already has on his smartphone.

The program is free for almost all brands. Our goal is to promote QR Codes, ShopSavvy and build great relationships with brands. Interested? Brands simply need to emailsales@biggu.com and explain the planned usage of our badge prior to use. Permission will be granted to almost all brands. Camera-ready art of the badge is available for download:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/109866/scanwithshopsavvy.zip

Basic tracking is included for FREE as part of the QR code generator and includes:

• Total click tracking
• Click tracking (today, past week, past month, total)
• Referrer tracking (today, past week, past month, total)
• Location tracking (today, past week, past month, total)
• Conversation tracking (number of tweets, shares, comments)

Enhanced programs area available including geo-targeted content. Use the consumers location as a trigger for alternative content. Show a user in a specific store or city a different experience. Please contact our sales department for more information.

…from the press release:

Big in Japan Announces Winner of First ShopSavvy ‘Tweet to Win’ Contest After Drawing More than 220,000 Entries

Heather Brown-Smith wins HTC EVO 4G in contest to spread the word about ShopSavvy, the local retail shopping companion for 6+ million mobile users.

Big in Japan, the leader in barcode-powered shopping by mobile consumers, announced that Heather Brown-Smith, 44, of Valencia, Calif., has won the company’s first “Tweet to Win” contest by helping to spread the word about ShopSavvy®, the local retail shopping app for the iPhone, Android and Nokia smartphones. More than 220,000 Twitter users entered the contest. Brown-Smith was awarded an HTC EVO 4G smartphone.

Big in Japan also launched a second “Tweet to Win” contest, beginning today and accepting entries through Sept. 30.

“ShopSavvy is much more than a price-comparison app; it is a community in which users add value to the shopping experiences of others and share information about the savings they’ve received,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. “In this spirit, ‘Tweet to Win’ engages social network users to spread the word about ShopSavvy — with great results.”

To participate in the second “Tweet to Win” contest, entrants must follow ShopSavvy’s Twitter account (http://twitter.com/shopsavvy ) from their own Twitter account. Entrants must then issue the status update from their Twitter account shown on the “Tweet to Win” contest page (http://biggu.com/promo ). One winner will be selected randomly from all valid entries.