WP7 Brick and Mortar Store Buying Assistant App Coming

Looks like a pretty neat set of apps is about to hit for Windows Phones that let users go into a retail store but get more information about products in the store on their Windows Phones as well as get coupons, find related items, etc and this is store specific so it will tie to the location you are in. Here are the details:

Escalate Retail, the leading provider of solutions that help retailers reinvent the shopping experience for their customers, today announced it will feature a new native mobile self-service application for in-store use on the new Windows Phone 7. Code named “Project Arke” and developed specifically for the Windows mobile platform by Escalate, Microsoft and IdentityMine, the application empowers in-store shoppers to access and buy merchandise online while visiting their favorite brick-and-mortar retail stores. Escalate will highlight the new mobile self-service application at the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 100th Annual Convention and Expo in New York, January 10-11, 2011 in booth #637.

“Project Arke” provides in-store shoppers with detailed product information and personalized features specifically in the context of the store they are visiting, right at their fingertips. The application allows consumers to research products in-store and to make more confident buying decisions without leaving the store or shopping competitor sites – giving shoppers all the advantages of online shopping in the store, while allowing retailers to reap the financial benefits of closing more sales more often. “Project Arke” lets shoppers access all the information they need about a product, right at the shelf:

• Quick scanning product or aisle bar codes for quick lookup of products or product categories
• Product details and features
• Customer product reviews and ratings
• Inventory availability in the store and nearby stores within the brand
• Related items for cross-selling and up-selling
• Downloadable coupons and personalized promotions incenting the shopper to buy in-store
• Product recommendations based on past purchase history
• Customer loyalty card scanning
• Product advisor and comparison

Pretty neat stuff.

via FierceCIO