All supermarkets nationwide are participating in the pilot phase of the e-kalathi electronic platform, which began on February 10 and ends tomorrow, the 20th of the month, with the aim of delivering it to consumers on March 4, the Director of the Consumer Protection Service (CPS), Konstantinos Karagiorgis, told CNA, while also mentioning that efforts are being made to enable the platform to operate over the telephone.
"Our effort is to make the platform work on the phone as well," said Mr. Karagiorgis, adding that "we expect that by March 4, at least an Android application will be available" for consumers.
"We expect that on March 4, what will be presented, which will not be a static platform, will be continuously modernized and upgraded so that we can satisfy the potential needs of consumers as they arise," emphasized Mr. Karagiorgis, who thanked the supermarkets that participate "substantially and creatively in the entire effort."
Specifically, Mr. Karagiorgis said that "the planning for the implementation of the platform and the timetable we set are being implemented as we have planned."
He stated that from March 4, the prices of the 478 products included in e-kalathi will be transmitted in real time, daily, and the consumer will be able to locate the prices at any time, from wherever they are, within twenty-four hours.
"The goal is to give the consumer a tool that will provide transparency in prices, allow them to compare prices and make their choices, depending on their financial capabilities," he added.
The Director of the Public Procurement Agency said that the pilot phase served its purpose and objective, namely, as he explained, "to get supermarkets onto the platform, to put their data in real time and to have virtual consumers operating the system, so that we can see possible weaknesses or even practical usage issues that would work for better and more user-friendly use by some consumers."
"Some issues have been recorded and are still being recorded, which perhaps require improvement in the system, mainly regarding user use, and in this direction we are in daily contact with the contractor and improvements are being made on his part," he added.
He stated that upon completion of the pilot phase, tomorrow, "the system will be closed, additional differentiations will be made, so that the platform can be further improved and delivered to consumers on March 4, as it should be delivered."
He also mentioned that all supermarkets nationwide, amounting to approximately 22 entities, participated in the pilot phase and added that there were "some technical problems with the connection (with the platform) from some small supermarkets", which have been resolved.
How to use the platform
Referring to the way in which the e-kalathi platform is used by the consumer, Mr. Karagiorgis told CNA that the platform has many functions, resulting in the consumer having "many options" at his disposal.
Specifically, he stated that the consumer can see the prices of 478 products from the cheapest to the most expensive, can select the area they are located in to compare prices, and can select the supermarkets they want to compare.
He also stated that the consumer "in any case, will be able to choose the products they want to put in their cart and have a comparison of the price of these products, per supermarket."
Source: KYPE
