Dive Brief:

• Shopping search engine Yroo has launched a mobile product search app designed for in-store use by shoppers. The app includes a barcode scanner to help consumers compare prices on the go, according to a company blog post.

• The app, available on Android and iOS, marks the first expansion of Yroo’s search services to mobile, giving its customer base of more than 15 million users access to more than 85 million products from more than 4,000 merchants and brands, including Amazon, Jet.com, Apple, Nike and Calvin Klein.

• In addition to the search functions, other features of the app include the ability to view price history information so shoppers can feel confident that they’re getting the best price; compare prices for the same product in one place; read product reviews; receive notifications when a “favorited” product drops in price; and use an app-exclusive barcode scanner to compare prices on the go.

Dive Insight:

Retailers are working hard to get mobile commerce right on their own, but ultimately they want customers to be happy and to make sales, possibly not in that order. Yroo's mobile app seems like a tool that can serve those aims for retailers without necessarily undermining how retailers are trying to leverage their own mobile shopping apps in concert with in-store and overall omnichannel shopping experiences.

That's because Yroo is first and foremost a handy little app to help shoppers find what they are looking for, and it's not specifically a competitor to retailers. The app's capabilities tie-in nicely with how shoppers are already using mobile in the shopping journey — often to gather information online in order to buy offline.

According to the latest installment of the Retail Dive Consumer Survey, nearly 60% of shoppers that use their mobile phones in stores do so to check prices and look up product information. The barcode scanner is a big part of what makes the app interesting and incredibly useful while in-store, and is one element of the app that helps shoppers make better-informed decisions before they reach the checkout line.

“Product prices fluctuate so frequently in today’s retail climate that it can leave consumers with a sense of buyer's remorse when they realize they could’ve found a better deal,” James Cunningham, CEO and co-founder at Yroo, said in a statement. “With our mobile app, even more consumers will gain peace of mind that they’re getting the best deal wherever they shop, whether it be on the web or on your phone.”

Yroo is not yet three years old and already claims 15 million users. Last summer, it announced an $11 million funding round, and at that time said it was growing by 15,000 users per day. Over the past year, it said it has seen 914% total growth garnered from session durations, engagement, clicks and searches on its platform. It has accomplished all of that without a mobile app. As a search tool, it is now making itself even more useful to shoppers, which means it could prove an immensely valuable partner for retailers.