Brand analytics get crowdsourced with new mobile app

A San Francisco startup called Quri is offering anyone with a smartphone an easy way to make $5.

Using an app called EasyShift, the company will provide brands with real-time data and analytics by dispatching smartphone-carrying consumers to act as “secret shoppers.” In exchange for a few bucks, consumers can go to stores in their area and report back on whether or not a company’s promotion is on display or if a product is out of stock—essentially providing brand’s with real-time, in-store data on how their products are doing.

“Brands invest hundreds of billions of dollars every year to promote their products in stores, and they need a scalable solution to measure and optimize that investment,” said Justin Behar, co-founder of Quri, in a statement. “We can check the status of products and promotions in thousands of stores within hours, providing brands and retailers with real-time, actionable data and photos, which enables them to greatly improve their in-store execution and the shopper experience.”

Once a user has signed up for the EasyShift app, they can instantly see assignments, or “shifts,” in their area. After a Quri member accepts a shift, they must head to the given store and answer questions about certain products.

An assignment at a local Walgreens, for example, might require a user to check the promotional pricing for specific brands of sunscreen. To complete this shift, the user would need to take a picture of the sunscreen shelf and answer a set of questions about the promotion.

Once the user is finished, the information collected is instantly sent to Quri, where it is analyzed and made available to the brand client in almost real-time.

The EasyShift app was presented during the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference last Thursday.

[via Business Wire]

Images: EasyShift

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com