Galeries Lafayette launches in-store flagship app

For French department store group, Galeries Lafayette, the classic indicators by escalators informing shoppers where they may locate certain

products within its store was not enough anymore.

Last week Galeries Lafayette launched its first instore geo-location app for its flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris, France. The app, which is available in fourteen languages, provides users with a 3D map of the 75,000 square foot store to navigate their way and is able to pinpoint their location in the store with a margin error of no more of six feet using Wifi and Bluetooth based technology.

The app is free, and also offers its users additional information on the brands, in store services, restaurants and promotions that may be offered in their proximity. The smartphone app taps into the growing trend which sees consumers carrying out their research online or via mobile before heading in store to make their final purchases.

In order to entice shoppers to spend more time in its flagship store, the geo-location app also allows used to plan their shopping trip ahead of time by selecting labels and adding them to a personal itinerary. Over the past few months, Galeries Lafayette has been moving into the digital realm by launching a Google+ account and launching a store front on China's online platform Tmall.