Tesco launches store and product finder iPhone app

The app helps users locate their nearest UK Tesco store, of any size from Express to Extra, and also helps them find any grocery product in that store by describing its aisle and shelf.

The app is free and available worldwide although it only works for UK stores and only with grocery products (rather than non-food items) at present.

Tesco plans to enhance the application to offer:

1. The ability for a customer to search for any grocery product and then find out the nearest stores that stock it.
2. A link to a home shopping customer's favourites list so they can find these products in any Tesco store that stocks them.
3. An extension of the products beyond groceries to include more non-food items such as electricals, household items and more.

Critics of the application said it should show product prices or real-time stock levels, which it currently does not, and that it does not work in some stores where the mobile signal is too weak. They also criticised the app's appearance.

Nick Lansley, Tesco.com head of R&D, explained in his blog that Tesco is working on improving its appearance.

He also said real-time prices will be added to the app "soon" but said it will not be showing current stock levels because they would not be accurate.

The application is the first piece of innovation that has come from Tesco.com's R&D-run IT Innovation Club.

Lansley said: "It's early days for this application, and our remit is to innovate, so look out for some great new functionality."

Apple initially rejected Tesco's app due to a technical issue whereby if the user denied the app access to iPhone's location service, it could not obtain the current latitude and longitude of the phone, meaning it could not provide a list of the closest Tesco stores.

The glitch was overcome through a minor change.