An Un-tethered Mobile Shopping Experience

Smart phones with access to apps from online stores are ideal candidates to replace expensive hardware like PoS terminals for retail. A standard set of shopper and retailer apps can replace the conventional retailer IT setup in settings ranging from rural areas with low connectivity to dense urban areas. We describe how we built such a set of apps for mobile shoppers and retailers equipped only with smart phones and tablets, and who require little to no training to use them. These apps are flexible enough to be used by small shops with small inventories as well as large grocery chains. Our apps enable retailers to manage their inventories and finances, and shoppers to discover retailers, match shopping lists, and make purchases. We describe a user study of retailers in North India to understand the ecosystem in emerging markets, and ascertain their needs, helping us build a useful platform for mobile shopping.