JC Penney today launched a new app for Apple’s iPhone – JCPenney Weekly Deals – bringing the retailer’s signature style and affordable prices directly to customers’ fingertips, whenever and wherever they need it.

By downloading the free app from iTunes, customers can:
Browse a select group of store-advertised sale items that are featured in the latest weekend sales circular;
Create a “portable” shopping list within the application by saving items as “favorites”;
Check for the latest special offers; and
Find the nearest store to either their current location or to a zip code/city name.
“With shoppers increasingly doing research before they step into a store, our new iPhone app is the latest way we are providing our customers an easier, more engaging and integrated shopping experience,” said Mike Boylson, chief marketing officer for JCPenney. “Furthermore, with more than 13 million iPhone users in the U.S. – along with 12 million iPod Touch users who can also download apps – the launch of an iPhone app allows us to share our style, quality and affordable prices each week with a rapidly growing base of consumers.”

The launch of the JCPenney Weekly Deals iPhone app builds on the Company’s “Know Before You Go” initiative, developed based on extensive customer research which found that a large number of customers visiting jcp.com were online for a purpose other than shopping. An online survey of jcp.com customers showed that a significant majority of those surveyed were visiting the site to do some form of research: viewing merchandise, comparing prices, browsing sales and promotions, finding store directions, exploring ideas for fashion and home, and more. In response to these findings, innovative features were added to jcp.com – such as enhanced search capabilities and product information, merchandise availability at local stores, and the ability to view weekly sales circulars online – making shopping at JCPenney easier and more efficient than ever before.

The JCPenney iPhone app will evolve as new functionality becomes available. Weekly content updates to the app will be automatic and require no action by customers. Customers can download the app from the iTunes online app store by searching for JCPenney or they can find a link to the app at jcp.com/iPhone.