Aussie Farmers Direct claims world-first virtual shopping app

Online retailer, Aussie Farmers Direct, has unveiled a new virtual shopping app optimised for touchscreens that allows consumers to scroll and pick products off a virtual shelf.

The new AisleOne site gives consumers the ability to “stroll” through a virtual shop, click and pick products off the shelf to then take a closer look at, and then drag and drop into an online shopping trolley. The company claims its world-first virtual offering will shake up the shape of online shopping.

Aussie Farmers Direct CEO, Keith Louie, said it had looked to do away with search boxes, detailed product lists and text-based navigation and create a fresh touchscreen-based experience from the ground up. The new app aims to tap into the in-store layouts and product displays customers see in a physical store to improve the online experience.

“AisleOne has been designed so that someone with little or no computer experience can pick it up and start using it immediately,” he said. “Browsing through each virtual aisle is as easy as swiping left or right across the screen.”

AisleOne is Aussie Farmers Direct’s first digital marketing initiative, and the company said it was in talks several third parties about white-labelling the platform.

“When we started this business 10 years ago, we would never have dreamed we’d end up in the app business,” Louie said. “This is an important step in the evolution of Aussie farmers Direct, demonstrating that we’re a forward-thinking company that’s not only embracing change, but also leading the way in developing new and innovative solutions for our customers.”

The app has been launched on the Apple platform and is available via iTunes.

Aussie Farmers Direct launched as an online-only business providing Australian fresh food and now serves more than 100,000 customers nationally.