Staples announced a new beta test available on the Staples mobile iOS app. Customers can now send a photo of their child’s back-to-school list via the Staples Easy System on the app and a Staples associate will populate the customer’s shopping cart with everything they need.
Today, many school districts offer a printed list of supplies. Staples is now offering a way for parents to shop with those lists. Parents will snap a photo of their back-to-school list, send it to a Staples associate via the Staples Easy System (on the app) and then be provided with the best product options within 24-48 hours. Once the list has been populated, customers can choose to buy now or customize their items in the cart, and if they want to pick up their order in store where available or have it shipped to them.
“We listened to customer feedback about their limited time for back-to-school shopping and delivered an experience utilizing the power of mobile,” said Faisal Masud, executive vice president, ecommerce and customer experience, Staples. “We know parents are busy and the process of back-to-school shopping, especially if there are multiple children involved, can be time-consuming. This new experience enables us to do the hard work on behalf of our customers and we’re already seeing 10 percent of our iOS users interact with the chat feature on a daily basis.”
The Staples Easy System uses computer vision, artificial intelligence, crowdsourced data, and mobile interfaces to enable this chat-based experience, which also makes it easy for customers to ask Staples for any changes or other service questions. The beta test is now in effect for select customers, and has applications beyond just back-to-school shopping, as businesses can use the feature to snap a photo of their office or breakroom to get product re-ordering suggestions.
This beta test program is one of many new mobile app features that Staples is initiating to make easier shopping happen. It’s the latest addition to a suite of shopping options including stores, Staples.com, Staples mobile website, Buy Online, Pick Up in Store and Staples in-store kiosks.