Department store chain Bloomingdale’s has rolled out an iPhone and Android application to let fashion-savvy consumers shop the latest trends, as well as check prices and read product reviews.

Via the app, consumers can also locate the nearest location to learn more about in-store events and special offers. The app is available for free download in Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

“The launch of our Bloomingdale’s Big Brown Bag mobile application for iPhone and Android is part of our commitment to enhancing our customer’s omnichannel shopping experience,” said Anne Bridges, senior vice president of site merchandising, Internet productions and planning at Bloomingdales.com, New York.

“We’re now inviting couples to use their phones – instead of a gun – to scan items to add to their registry,” she said.

Bloomingdale’s is the upscale department store chain that is part of Macy’s Inc.

Mobile shopping
The Bloomingdale’s Big Brown Bag mobile app lets consumers create and manage their wedding registry and shop from the registries of their friends and family as well.

The in-store bar code scanner lets customers view additional product details and read customer reviews.

Additionally, consumers can manage their Loyallist rewards points and pay their Bloomingdale’s credit via the app.

The app also lets customers find discounts and promotions and scan products in-store to view available promotions.

The Big Brown Bag app joins the other Bloomingdale’s family of apps including the 59th Street iPhone app which launched in January, and the Bloomingdale’s iCatalog app for iPad, which debuted in August.

Fashionable story
Bloomingdale’s has been doing a lot in the mobile space.

In February, the department store chain rolled out a new catalog that not only promoted its recently launched iPad app, but also included QR codes and SMS calls to action throughout.

The company placed mobile bar codes on almost every page of its women’s and men’s catalog, which let consumers learn more about the looks featured. Additionally, underneath each QR code, there was an SMS call to action (see story).

Most recently, Bloomingdale’s aimed to build brand loyalists through mobile calls-to-action in a print campaign in the April edition of Condé Nast’s Vanity Fair magazine.

The retailer pushed its new loyallist program through a QR code, MMS and mobile site offering (see story).

“The Big Brown Bag app also enables customers to scan bar codes to check prices and read product reviews, making shopping at Bloomingdale’s easier and more fun,” Ms. Bridges said.

“We look forward to adding more features to the app on both platforms in the future,” she said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York