TWITTER is the new tool being used to fight against high supermarket prices across Australia.
Following the failure of the Federal Government’s Grocery Choice website – set up to help shoppers find the lowest grocery prices in supermarkets around the country – a group of IT experts are using Twitter and Google Groups to develop Price Check, a website they hope will save shoppers money.
Using crowd-sourcing technology, shoppers will eventually be able to log onto the web or via a mobile phone application to find the best-priced supermarket items in their area.
The website will allow shoppers to enter their entire shopping list on the website to find the best prices.
Users will also be asked to update price items.
“I think I am heavily in favour of an open system and I believe there should be access to the public,’’ idea developer Rob Mason told news.com.au.
“(Users) will be able to enter their postcode … and source products on the site linked to the data base and compare prices and find which supermarket is best-priced.”
Mr Mason said the more the public demand access to cheaper prices, the more likely supermarket giants such as Coles and Woolworths will comply.
He said the response from Twitter users has been “fantastic”.
“If we get people involved and active, we can get all the prices in all the supermarkets,” he said.
“The feedback has been really good; we have gathered as much followers as the big supermarkets.”
Mr Mason said the major supermarkets have a responsibility to be open about their prices.
He admitted if successful, the Price Check idea would be unpopular with the supermarket chains.
“There is absolutely no commercial gain for them to be had by being open and transparent,” he said.
“At the moment it is more of a social thing, supporting an open system rather than saving heaps of money … but there is a potential.”
Follow @price_check for notification of the website launch.
Source www.news.com.au
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