VentureBeat

Evincii, a startup that brings search technology into brick-and-mortar stores, is launching publicly today.

The Mountain View, Calif. company was founded in 2005 and has been operating secretly — albeit less than the full “stealth mode” typical of some companies, since its Search Box (pictured at left) is already installed in 135 Longs Drugs stores.

The Search Box’s goal is simple: Help customers find what they need in the store as easily and quickly as possible. The company’s initial release focuses on over-the-counter medicines. You enter you symptoms, along with any allergies or other constraints, and the Search Box provides a list of relevant medicines. It also includes links to detailed information, video ads and diagrams showing exactly where in the store you can find each product.

Evincii chief executive Charles Koo say all relevant medicines are listed, and they’re sorted according to popularity and whether or not the companies paid Evincii for their listings. (To get a better sense of how the Search Box works, you can check out the Longs Drugs website, where Evincii’s technology powers a very similar tool called the “Over the Counter Medicine Buyer’s Guide”.)

Most of the information that Evincii provides is already available online. But the the Search Box isn’t aimed at people who are sitting at their computers doing research. Instead, it’s for those of us who show up at the store without having researched or chosen a product ahead of time. It also helps advertisers reach those customers right at the point of purchase.

When Koo first told me about the Search Box, I was surprised there isn’t a similar product out there already. But Evincii seems to be opening up fresh territory — there are a growing number of companies providing in-store television advertising, and other businesses (like bookstores) that offer in-store directories, but Evincii is the first to offer an interactive, in-store experience focused on over-the-counter medicine, Koo says.

Evincii’s Search Box has been available in some Longs stores since 2006. The company found that the Search Box increases a store’s over-the-counter drug sales by between 3 percent and 6 percent, while advertisers saw sales increase by between 7 percent and 18 percent, Koo says.

Over the next few months, Evincii will continue to roll out its first product. The company will also unveil in-store search services in other areas — Koo offered few details, but he pointed to vitamin supplements as another category where a Search Box would be useful.

Evincii has raised a $9.2 million first round of funding led by Norwest Venture Partners and is looking to raise a second.

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