Mobile app to launch search engine for retail

Promising “instant answers to pressing retail questions,” the mobile solutions firm Field Agent this week announced the launch of a retail search engine called Jicco.

The site is an offshoot of the crowd-sourced retail intelligence provided by Field Agent, a mobile app that deploys around 1 million freelance “agents” on assignment to snap photos or gather information in local stores for client projects. Jicco, online at gojicco.com will provide “real-time” answers about store-level promotions, pricing, on-shelf availability, competitive activity, and shopper sentiment, the Fayetteville, Ark.-based company said.

“Professionals across the retail industry are strapped for time and under considerable pressure to have all the answers,” Rick West, CEO and cofounder of Field Agent said in a statement. “We’ve merged our efficient mobile crowdsourcing system with a simple search engine interface to create the world’s fastest way to get real answers from the field.”

Questions posted on the Jicco website will get responses "within minutes."

Currently in beta testing with plans to roll out nationally in April, Jicco is already being used by hundreds of brands, retailers and agencies to acquire on-demand answers from stores across the country.

Users who type a question into the Jicco search engine can get answers “within minutes,” Field Agent said, including photos and shopper comments from particular sites.

A limited number of beta testers are currently using the search engine and potential users may join a waiting list. Field Agent said it expected to launch the service next month.