Specialty grocery retailer Whole Foods Market is joining the growing trend of retailers launching iPhone applications to drive sales and customer loyalty, reports Retailer Daily.
The app features recipes and a store finder and is available free on the App Store or iTunes for the iPhone and iPod touch.
The application makes Whole Foods' entire selection of more than 2,000 recipes recipes to iPhone and iPod touch users. Searchable by ingredient, special diets, and other elements like "budget" and "family friendly," each recipe contains detailed preparation instructions and nutritional information, which can be copied and pasted, saved as a personal "favorite," and emailed from within the application itself. The application also includes an "on hand" feature where customers can enter ingredients and get meal recommendations.
Built with the new iPhone OS 3.0 software, the application also comes with a store locator, where customers use a ZIP code search or the iPhone’s built-in location finder to view maps and identify their nearest Whole Foods Market. Each store page contains operating hours, phone and address, and links to maps, directions, and store specials.
Fast food retailer Burger King launched an iPhone app last month. As reported by QSR Magazine, the application allows customers to automatically place orders.
Using a platform developed by restaurant mobile technology provider GoMobo, Burger King is also allowing customers to automatically log in to locate nearby stores via GPS, as well as receive targeted incentives based on their mobile ordering history.
According to research firm Gartner, iPhone developer Apple sold about 11.1 million units in 2008, so it is not surprising that retailers are beginning to reach out to iPhone users. In April, online retailer Amazon purchased the developer of an e-book reader application for the iPhone and iPod touch devices.
In December 2008, Target launched an iPhone application called the Target Gift Globe to help customers find gifts. After opening the application, the customer selects age, gender, and other attributes to focus a gift search. The screen turns into falling snow (a “snow globe”) that, when shaken, dissipates to reveal a gift recommendation that they can click to purchase through Target.com or find at a nearby store.
And in February, Conde Nast shopping publication Lucky released a limited-time iPhone application called Lucky At Your Service that allowed readers find and reserve shoes listed in its March shoe guide at nearby retailers. Lucky plans to release similar iPhone applications in conjunction with future issues.
Retailers are also looking beyond just the iPhone to launch mobile applications. For example, Best Buy offers more than 140,000 smartphone applications from mobile software provider Handango for the Blackberry, Palm, and Symbian S60 mobile platforms.
