DianDao Already Has 600+ Indoor Maps, Rolls Out New Apps

After launching in January of this year on iOS, the Chinese startup DianDao has rolled out apps for Android and Windows Phone, helping even more people find their way around malls and department stores.

The indoor maps app claims it now covers shopping venues in 24 cities across China, and it’s also accessible via a rather awkward and jittery web app. Thankfully the smartphone apps are buttery smooth and give a lot more information about retailers than the web app. 36Kr reports that DianDao has now mapped out the multiple floors of over 600 malls.

But the rhinoceros in the room – or in the store – is that Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU), China’s biggest search engine, is already doing indoor maps in the country – albeit with very limited reach in its popular Baidu Maps app. Admittedly, Baidu’s indoor guides are mostly in the web app, and largely just at locations in Beijing and Shanghai, but they’ll surely become more prevalent in the giant’s mobile app over time. Plus, Baidu said last week that its online maps have 77 million users, so that’s some mighty competition.

Of course, DianDao’s CEO, Li Xiuyi, has thought of this, and reckons that the market is big enough for everyone – especially as, Li claims, Baidu is just sourcing its indoor maps from a pre-existing rival of the startup’s called Palmap.cn. Plus, DianDao is working on an open API to make it easier for both developers and retail chains to make use of its maps.

At the moment, the app is useful for keen shoppers, but it lacks an extra pull factor – perhaps it could be nicely complemented in future by adding features like discount vouchers or shop check-in rewards.

Get the DianDao apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone from its homepage.

[Source: 36Kr – article in Chinese]