The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG


Tribune Staff Reporter


ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE government has launched a national price-comparison app that will allow Bahamians to check grocery and household prices across more than 230 stores in what officials say is an effort to increase transparency and competition in the retail sector.

Price Pal, now in beta testing, lists about 30,000 products, according to Bahamas Trade Commission chairman Barry Griffin. Price inspectors are travelling daily to add items and stores, and he said the figure is expected to rise to 50,000 within weeks.

The app was developed by Novio Group with support from the Bahamas Trade Commission and the Office of the Prime Minister. Seven to eight retailers are actively managing their profiles and updating prices.

Mr Griffin said the initiative addresses what consumers have long complained about: a lack of clear pricing information.

“That is one of the biggest things that consumers say they lack information they don't know prices across the wide array of The Bahamas,” Mr Griffin said. “This information imbalance hurts households. In any market, the party with the information holds the advantage. And so historically, businesses have had that pricing information, but consumers have not, and so Price Pal corrects that imbalance.”

He said greater transparency should drive competition and help consumers make informed choices before shopping.

“This initiative is about transparency, and transparency leads to more competition, and competition leads to better prices. Price Pal allows Bahamians to compare grocery and household items across stores across the nation. They will be able to find the best value before shopping. Price Pal is an app that you download on your phone, and whether you're at home or in the car or at work, you can go into the app and look for prices of various products that you have on your shopping list.”

The system allows users to search for items, compare prices at nearby stores, scan barcodes at home to find lower prices elsewhere, set price alerts and generate shopping lists showing the cheapest overall basket based on location. Users will also be able to submit reports through the app.

About 400 people downloaded the app during its initial beta phase, which began two weeks ago with a media preview. The government has now opened a larger beta phase to the public ahead of a full launch in the coming weeks.

“We are encouraging Bahamians across The Bahamas to become part of the beta testing of Price Pal and you can go to pricepal.gov.bs, it's available for Android phones and Apple phones as well, and become part of the first group to help us to test and refine and make this app the best possible app before we launch, which we intend to do in a few weeks,” Mr Griffin said.

The initiative comes amid continued consumer complaints. From January to February, the Consumer Protection Commission recorded 48 complaints. Twenty-seven cases remain open and 18 have been closed, with three given advice and none referred. The total amount involved was $3,772.56, of which $3,262.75 was recovered, reflecting an 86 percent recovery rate.