Guitar Center is unveiling a new shopping companion mobile application that capitalizes on music customers’ tendency to want to test out products in-store before they purchase them.

The app is designed to be both an in-store shopping companion and a way for consumers to continue browsing before and after they visit the store. Guitar Center is tapping into one of the most popular uses for mobile in a retail setting with this new app.

“We’re thrilled to be one of the first retailers in the musical instrument space to launch a mobile app and give our customers another convenient way to shop and be connected to the music community,” said Jeff Wisot, vice president of marketing and E-Commerce for Guitar Center.

Musical mobile
Many retailers have been coming around to mobile as a retail tool, with a large number of brands having their own special retail apps specifically for that store.

While this is a good idea for any retailer, it is particularly helpful for stores that offer goods that require an in-person physical test before purchasing.

Products such as books or electronics can usually be safely purchased online without an in-person look, but other products such as apparel need to be tried on and looked at up close before they are purchased.

One such category is musical instruments, which benefit from having the customer come in and test out the feel before they purchase.

To facilitate that in-store testing, Guitar Center is launching a new retail app that comes with a suite of features designed to make it easier for consumers to shop in-store.

The new app lets consumers scan instruments in store to find more information about them, as well as compare prices and browse similar models.

Consumers can also set custom notifications to find out when sales on certain items roll through the store.

The app also comes with a social component in the form of a feed of Guitar Center users’ posts on various social media platforms.

In-store companion
This new app takes place of musicians innate need to test out an instrument before they purchase.

Rather than trying to push more online sales when they are not preferred in this category, Guitar Center is going with the natural motion of music consumers’ shopping habits and introducing an app that fits into their style of shopping.

Guitar Center is hoping that by riding the wave of consumer shopping habits, they can better capitalize on the market and give their consumers an even better way to shop in-store.

This approach is similar to some recent apps from other retailers, including a new one from California Pizza Kitchen that boasts mobile payment capabilities (see story).

Similarly, Marriot has also recently redesigned its mobile app to better appeal to customers who are already at the hotel (see story).

This strategy when designing a mobile app works best for specialty retailers such as Guitar Center or those who offer products that require an in-person test before purchasing.

Focusing on this aspect of the retail process is one way these retailers can stay ahead of aggressive online retailers such as Amazon.

“We’re seeing a significant shift to mobile shopping, and we feel it is important to offer our customers these comprehensive tools,” Mr. Wisot said.