With its new digital platform ‘Spar-Produktwelt’ (Spar Product World), Austrian Spar provides information on prices, origins, and availability of more than 25,000 products from its food range. Customers of company-operated stores in Austria can now access the database via an icon in the Spar app or the company’s website.
Spar-Produktwelt provides information on the availability of desired products in the selected store, their prices, promotions and discounts. In addition, customers can find detailed information on ingredients, possible allergens, nutritional values and the origin of food items. They can also search specifically for products that meet their dietary needs. For example, they can filter the range by vegan or vegetarian products, gluten- or lactose-free foods, or the organic range.
With this new service, Spar aims to provide interested consumers with additional information quickly and easily. Spar CEO Markus Kaser explains: “With Spar-Produktwelt, we are creating a new level of transparency and customer service. Our customers can use it to inform themselves about our diverse product range at any time – digitally, easily and with minimal data usage.”
Developed in-house
Spar’s product world is integrated directly into the Spar app. Users can access it via a new icon and do not need to register separately. However, they do need the latest version of the app, which has been available for download from Apple App Store and Google Play Store since the beginning of September. Interested consumers can also access the information via Spar’s website.
Spar Austria developed the app with an interdisciplinary team within the company, led by its in-house IT department, Spar ICS (Information & Communication Services). Experts from IT, marketing, sales and customer service were involved in the development. Spar ICS is working on the technical implementation and further developments with its own teams at several locations across the country.
Data sourced from the merchandise management system
Information on Spar-Produktwelt is fed from data of Spar’s merchandise management system. The platform is continuously updated so that users can stay up to date on promotions, regional offers or new products at any time.
The database currently includes food ranges of all Spar, Eurospar, Spar Gourmet, and Maximarkt stores the retailer operates centrally managed in Austria. In total, it contains information on more than 25,000 items, Spar own brands, branded products and regional specialties.
Independent stores to be integrated later
The company also plans to integrate stores of independent Spar retailers in the future, if they so wish. This would expand the database to include often strongly regional product ranges of the affiliated stores.
