Editor's Review
Boulanger is one of France's larger electronics and household appliance chains, and its Android app is the mobile front end for the whole operation rather than a catalogue bolted on afterwards. You browse the same range the shops carry — televisions, laptops, washing machines, small kitchen equipment — with product sheets, customer ratings and stock indications for the branches nearest you.
What makes it worth installing over the mobile site is the account side. The loyalty card sits in the app and can be scanned at the till without hunting for a piece of plastic. Online orders are tracked through to delivery or click-and-collect pickup, and past purchases stay in the account, which turns out to be genuinely valuable two years later when a dishwasher fails and you need the model number and the receipt for a warranty claim.
Delivery and installation choices for large appliances are made during checkout, including removal of the old machine where that service is offered, and pricing matches the retailer's other channels rather than running a separate app-only catalogue.
The constraint is geography. Boulanger trades in France, the interface is French, and it is of no practical use to a shopper anywhere else. Retail apps of this kind also tend to carry more promotional material than strictly necessary, putting a few extra screens between you and the product you came for, and the 4.29 rating reads like a solid but imperfect experience.
Features
Full Boulanger catalogue with product sheets and customer ratings
Stock availability for nearby stores
Loyalty card stored for scanning at the checkout
Order tracking through to delivery or click-and-collect pickup
Purchase history kept for warranty and after-sales claims
Delivery, installation and old-appliance removal chosen at checkout
Pros
Purchase history makes a warranty claim far less painful
No plastic loyalty card to remember
Checking branch stock saves a wasted trip
Cons
France only, and the interface is in French
Heavy on promotional content around the products
Large-appliance delivery options are fiddly to compare on a small screen
Most of the useful parts need an account first
