Tesco App Review (iPhone)
The app has 6 sections. There is Book A Slot, Scan, Favourites, Shop, Basket & My Orders.
“Book A Slot” - Allows you to book a time for the delivery of your shopping. You are able to reserve 2 hour slots for delivery up to 11pm. Slots are charged at varying prices up to £6.00 also choose where you want it sent.
“Scan” - Barcode scan products in store or products you have. This allows you to see a plethora of information on the product such as price, offers on product, product detail, etc. You also get a ding noise when it has scanned the product.
“Favourites” - This is where the products you love come to mingle for easy access so you can add it to your shopping list.
“Shop” - Is where all products available in Tesco are. They are split into specific groups with individual colour pictures for each products & plenty of information.
“Basket” - Shows your items, how much you’re paying for them & how many you’re buying.
“Orders” - Shows previous orders & your pending orders.
At the bottom of the home screen you can send your feedback on the app to tescoapps@uk.tesco.com.
There is an extra section which is not visible on the home screen of the app. It is called “Checkout” where you complete your order.
Overall this a brilliantly put together app. Easy to use, colourful, well laid out & also lots of thought has gone into the app. The only significant absentees from this app are the Store Locator & Faq’s. This app is definitely one of the best apps in it’s field.
RATING: 4.25 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Asda App Review (iPhone)
There are 5 sections to the Asda app Home, Shop, Favourites, Trolley & More.
“Home” - Has a whole load of stuff going on in it. So I’ll just list them. Try and keep up.
At the top is the start shopping button which takes you into the shop.
Right below that is a box including three parts. The top part is for book delivery slots. Prices for slots range from £2.50 to £5.50.
Then we have order history. Beside that is the barcode scanner where you can scan a single or multiple items. It makes boop noise once scanned which takes me back to playing games such as Zool & Rick Dangerous on my PC.
Then there is another box below where the store locator is. You can view in map or list form.
Then finally the last box below that, is where you can enter your receipt in from Asda and compare it online with other shops. They say if they’re not 10% cheaper then a comparable shop Asda will give you the difference.
“Shop” - All the products that Asda have are here. Products are split into specific groups. Products have colour pictures, prices, offers if applicable & lots of information on the particular product.
“Favourites” - Are where the items you love end up.
“Trolley” - Once you have added all the products you want here. You are showed each products price, how many you’re getting, potential savings and totals. It will tag on your delivery fee. If you haven’t already booked a delivery slot you can book it here. Deliveries are only available for orders over £25.00.
“More” - Gives info on Asda such as About, Notes & Terms & Conditions. This is also where you can search to find an Asda store near you.
In conclusion Asda have put together a tremendous app. Lots of good points which include well laid out, colourful, clearly visible & lots of bells and whistles. A couple of bad points are a minimum order price will put some people off getting deliveries through the app but if they are the only store nearby then they have no choice. Again another app missing faq’s, they should be in most if not all apps.
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Waitrose App Review (iPhone)
Waitrose App has 5 sections. There is Recipes, Shopping List, Offers, Branch Finder & Cook Tools.
“Recipes” gives a bunch of idea on what to cook & also offers a back catalogue of older recipes from months gone by.
“Shopping List” allows you to make a list of items you need for the house or items for a particular recipe. It also lets you add items that are on offer. Once you have added everything added you can send it via email to whoever you wish.
“Offers” tells you what is on offer between certain dates. It is divided into 3 categories which are food, drink & home and household.
“Branch Finder” lets you find a Waitrose near you or you can search using postcode or the town you’re in. Once you have clicked on a certain shop. It will give you the details of it. Such as address, telephone number, opening hours, facilities. There are also dedicated buttons in this section for viewing it on a map or getting directions.
“Cook’s Tools” boasts some great info and tools for novice and expert cooks. They include things such as food & wine matching, perfect timing, seasonal food, etc. (See last picture for more options)
In the same vain as the Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons & Sainburys apps it is ok but not anywhere near the likes of the Asda or Tesco apps. That being said they have a separate app where you do all your purchasing. That review will be out next Monday. Here’s a hint combine the two apps and make a very good app.
RATING: 1.5 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Sainsbury’s App Review (iPhone)
The app has five sections Shop Online, My Offers, Top Deals, Meal Plan & More.
‘Shop Online” - Is where you can buy online but it requires a separate login to the Sainsbury’s website.
‘My Offers” - Offers for those with a Nectar card.
“Top Deals” - It collates all the best Sainsbury’s deals.
“Meal Plan” - Gives you meal ideas.
“More” - We have Settings and Help including FAQ’s & troubleshooting. Also the Store Locator is here with text search function.
Good points of the app are the “More” section which contains the store locator and help. Help is packed full of useful phone numbers & details. Meal plan is another good idea giving quick & easy recipes for a work week.
“Top Deals” is the same kind of service on offer by Lidl & Aldi. “My Offers” only works if you have a Nectar card so get yourself a card. If you want to buy products from Sainbury’s through the app you can but not really. As it opens their website in safari and you must have a separate login for the site.
Improvements for the app should be a barcode scanner, augmented reality integrated into the map, full product database, using the app to buy and have products delivered.
Sainsbury’s app is way behind it’s main rivals Asda & Tesco.
RATING: 1.5 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Morrisons App Review (iPhone)
The app has 5 sections. They consist of Home, Store Finder, Offers, Shopping List & About Us.
“Home” - We have almost half the screen dedicated to ”Today’s Offers”. Then there’s a list of options underneath which are Offers, Shopping List, Store Finder & About Us.
“Store Finder” - Helps you find your nearest outlet. Gives you a whole bunch of details such address, opening times & directions. If you click on the ”i” in the circle you will be taken to another screen where it tells you what amenities are available at the specific branch. Such as car wash, disabled access, dry cleaning, recycling, etc.
“Offers” - Is broken down into numerous categories then into sub categories. Once clicked through you can add an item you want to your shopping list by pressing the add circle.
“Shopping List” - As stated in the previous section the added items from the offers page show up in here. You can remove them if you no longer need or want them. If you have purchased an item you can swipe across it & a tick will appear letting you know it’s been bought. You can also add your own items by typing it into the box and pressing the plus button
“About Us” - Gives a little bit of information on Morrisons & allows you to read their terms & conditions.
Good Points - “About Us” & “Store Finder”.
Bad Points - No Product Database. Not being able to buy and get products delivered through the app. Another useful addition would be augmented reality to the maps.
RATING: 2.5 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Lidl App Review (iPhone)
The Lidl app has 5 sections. They are Offers, Search, Stores, Bookmarks & Legal Notices.
“Offers” is an area that Lidl have coupled together their deals in specific groupings. They also give us “Sensational Deals” on products which aim to save you money.
“Search” allows you to find items via text search.
“Stores” helps you find your nearest Lidl. Shops are marked by the Lidl logo.
“Bookmarks” is next. When you click on a product you add it to your bookmarks by pressing the button in the top right hand corner. Once in the bookmarks section you can create a reminder for each product by setting an alarm for a certain date & time. You can tick off each item in your list once you have purchased them.
“Legal Notices” is where Lidl has put their legal information & privacy policy to read at your leisure.
In conclusion Lidl have a good store locator, search function & the legal notices are a good idea. The search could use voice and/or picture search to take it a step up. Bookmarks is another good idea but the lack of a product database and buying through the app which going forward will become a bigger hinderence. Grouping together the deals or offers is decent but can not paper over the short comings of this app. They could also take a note from the Aldi app and integrate augmented reality into the map feature.
RATING: 2 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Aldi App Review (iPhone)
We have 4 sections. Best Buys, Shopping List, Store Locator & More.
“Best Buys” is where you’ll find Aldi’s item’s that are on offer or what they believe to be a bargain at the price they are charging. They do have a set period so you need to be on the ball. Once clicked into an item you can add it to your shopping list by pressing the button in the top right hand corner.
“Shopping List” is where you can make up your shopping list, nifty that. You can add & delete items. When you add the item you type in it’s name & price.
Next up is the guaranteed part of all apps for shops is the “Store Locator”. They give you a list of the nearest Aldi stores or you can view them on a map. Also allowed is a text search using the town you’re in or the postcode. There is a camera icon in the top left hand corner which allows you to use the iPhone compass and augmented reality to find your way to the nearest store.
The last section is “More”. You can access the Aldi website from here which will open in safari also they have recipes here. They to open in safari. Aldi give you their privacy policy as well that you can peruse at your leisure if you so wish too.
The last area within the “More” section is Reminders. I’ll explain what this so please stick with me. When you find an item in the “Best Buys” section you like click on it. Underneath the image of the item will be a small blue box which says “Remind” click it. This will take you through to another screen. At this point you can set for it to remind you of the sale. You can be reminded before or on the sale date & you can pick when you’re notified. You can also be warned via email. Once you’ve set it all press “Activate” and you’re good to go. It will show up in the reminders in the more section of the app.
Overall it’s an ok app the augmented reality & reminder function are 2 good parts of this app. Things that would be useful for this app are: A database of products with prices that you can add to the shopping list from within the app itself, a barcode scanner for products within store & being allowed to buy through the app and have it delivered to you.
RATING: 2 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Forbidden Planet App Review (iPhone)
There 5 areas of the app. We have Store, Barcode Scanner, Freebies, Store Locator & Help.
Hitting the store button will take you into a mobile version of their website. You will see a search box at the top of the screen for text based searches and a button for the menu.
Barcode Scanner scans barcodes. Nice to have it within the app. Freebies is where you can download Forbidden Planet wallpapers for your phone. (5 wallpapers available at time of publishing.
Store Locator is a perennial in every app that a store should have if you can go to them and physically buy the products they sell.
Lastly, we have Help which is where you get specific information on how to use the barcode scanner.
A big pet peeve of mine is when stores use a mobile version of their site on a dedicated app of their own. It’s really frustrating just integrate it into the app. Technology is here to help not hinder. Plus you have to use a back button to get out of the everything to go into another section of the app (barcode scanner excluded). A minor thing but it is annoying.
The only problem I had with the Store Locator is that it does not indicate a store in Edinburgh but on the website they have one listed & I can’t find any information on whether it is closed down or not.
Another gripe is that the help area does not have any faq’s (frequently asked questions) again another must have for an app place that sells products. Barcode Scanner is a great idea and should be in every app for a store. The free wallpapers is a great idea. Would love to be able to create my own within the app & put them up for people to get. Also it’s not easily distinguishable whether or not employees made them or customers. People love to make & share stuff why not give them a platform to do that and be appreciated for it.
Overall a decent app but needs work to bring it up to where it should be. If you need to buy from Forbidden Planet use the actual website or to in-store if it’s on the store locator.
RATING: 3 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Richer Sounds App Review (iPhone)
There are 5 buttons across the bottom of the screen. They are Mobile Site, Scratch Card, Store Finder, VIP Lounge & Screen Sizer.
Mobile Site allows you to tap the screen and takes you to your browser where we go into a mobile configured site for you to browse.
Scratch Card is gives you a card you can rub your finger over match any 3 of the same item and you can head down to your nearest store to pick it up.
Store Finder allows you to find your nearest store via search giving results in map or list forms.
VIP Lounge allows you to join where you can get special perks such as giveaways, weekly mailshot, competitions & exclusive prices. If you’re a VIP member you can get mobile access soon.
Screen Sizer allows you to take a photo of your wall, select the viewing distance, choose the TV and put it in place. You can change, save or send the image to anyone via email.
Very poor app overall. Taking you out the app to look at products is annoying when you have an app to do it within. The VIP Lounge is no good because if you’re a member you can’t do anything because it isn’t ready yet. Screen Sizer is a good use of augmented reality and handy for people trying to get the best sized TV for a specific room. Store Finder works well as it should. Scratch Card is a very good idea and my favourite part of the app.
RATING: 1.5 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
Comet App Review (iPhone)
Home, Scan, Store Finder & Favourites make up the four sections of the Comet App.
Home section has a search bar at the top for specific text searches. Below is all the products split into there own specific categories. Also in the top right hand corner is the “About” button which shows you how to use the app if you’re having problems.
Scan allows you to scan products getting prices & being able to make a comparison before purchase.
The obligatory Store Finder allows you to find the nearest store to you where ever you are in the UK.
Favourites is a place for all the products you have earmarked to go to until such time as you want to delete them or purchase them. To add a product to your favourites click through to the product and in the top right hand corner will be a star. Once clicked it will turn orange and turn up in your favourites.
The app has the barcode scanner & store finder which should be standard for a shop apps if they have physical stores. It seems like they have over complicated the purchasing process which is not needed. The should follow Amazon’s example which is brilliant. Decent app which needs work on the purchasing side of things & would be improved by photo searches. They need to optimise a version of the purchasing section which keeps you in the app & doesn’t make you feel like you have left the app altogether.
RATING: 3 out of 5
The app is available free from the iTunes App store.
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