Hello Small Business Community!
I’m in the process of developing an app designed to strengthen the connection between local businesses and customers by providing real-time inventory information. Before proceeding further, I’d love to get your input on this concept.
For Businesses:
- Real-Time Inventory Exposure: Your inventory will be visible to local shoppers in real-time, increasing the likelihood of sales.
- Drive Foot Traffic: By showing customers exactly what you have in stock, the app aims to increase in-store visits.
- Local Community Engagement: Be part of a platform that promotes local shopping and community support.
- User-Friendly Interface: Easy to update your inventory, even if you’re not tech-savvy.
- Marketing Opportunities: Enhanced visibility in the local community without the need for extensive marketing efforts.
- Insights and Analytics: Gain insights into customer preferences and shopping trends in your area.
For Individuals:
- Save Time and Effort: No more wasted trips! Know exactly which store has what you need before you go.
- Support Local Businesses: Easily find and buy what you need locally, supporting your community’s businesses.
- Personalized Shopping Experience: Get recommendations and notifications about items of your interest.
- Community Connection: Be part of a platform that enriches your local shopping experience and community ties.
Seeking Your Feedback:
- Would you use this app? Why or why not?
- What features would you like to see in such an app?
- What concerns or suggestions do you have about this concept?
Your insights are invaluable to making this app truly beneficial for small businesses and local shoppers. Looking forward to your thoughts and feedback!
I don’t see the appeal on the consumer side of things. “I went to the store and they didn’t have the specific thing that I wanted” is not really a common problem IMO, because most “I already know what I want” shopping has moved online.
Most in-person shopping these days (among people who use apps) is situations where people don’t know exactly what they want, so they go somewhere to browse and physically try on clothes, for example. An app like this isn’t really helpful for something like that, because all the app would answer is “does this place have a good variety of the things that I want to look at?”, which usually you can already guess just by knowing what store you’re going to (I’ve never gone shopping for boots and then somehow ended up at a store that only sells 1 kind of boot).
The way I see it, this product would basically be testing “if people who were otherwise going to make an online order knew they could pick that item up locally, would they pick it up instead?”, and I don’t think the answer to that is yes most of the time