Woolworths is making a big play in mobile commerce, announcing on Thursday that it has launched in-app shopping in its smartphone app.

The new app offers online shopping and array of other features, including “daily inspiration” for food and fashion, and the ability for shoppers to view in-store stock of the product they want. Users can also view their WRewards loyalty status and view and manage their financial services products (including credit cards, store cards and personal loans).

Another new facility is the ability for users to scan a barcode of products in their fridge or pantry and add them to their online shopping cart.

Following the launch of its updated app on Android and iOS in 2016, Woolworths has seen an increase of 50% in app registrations year on year, the retailer said in a statement. “The expectation is to grow this exponentially with the introduction of in-app shopping,” said Woolworths online head Liz Hillock.

“We see mobile as the customer’s channel of choice and there is no doubt that mobile will lead the way towards an omni-channel retail experience,” said Hillock.

Woolworths has seen a 34% increase in online sales to June 2018. For fashion sales, the number is 77%. Three-fifths of the company’s online traffic comes from mobile devices.

“Mobile is a crucial part of our digital strategy. More than 60% of the traffic to Woolworths.co.za comes from customers browsing on their mobile phones and over the last year alone we have seen 64% growth in mobile transactions,” she said. — © 2018 NewsCentral Media