Route Optimization

Stop zigzagging through the store. Map Your Store calculates the fastest path through every aisle you need to visit, so you spend less time walking and more time checking items off your list.

How It Works

Once you have a shopping list paired with a store map, Map Your Store figures out the best order to visit each aisle. It starts at the store entrance, visits every aisle that has an item on your list, and finishes at the checkout. You choose how much optimization you want -- from a quick calculation to a thorough analysis that accounts for every shelf and obstacle in the store.

Optimization Modes

Map Your Store offers four ways to optimize your route. Pick the one that fits your situation:

Quick Route

The fastest calculation. Map Your Store looks at your current position and picks the nearest unvisited aisle, then repeats until every item is covered. This works great for short lists or when you just want a good-enough route in an instant.

Improved Route

Takes the Quick Route and refines it by swapping aisle pairs to shorten the total distance. This typically produces routes that are 10 to 20 percent shorter than the Quick Route with only a tiny bit of extra calculation time. A solid choice for everyday shopping trips.

Best Route

Uses an advanced technique to explore many possible aisle orderings, including some that look worse at first but lead to better overall routes. This is ideal for large shopping lists where the difference between a good route and the best route can save you real time on your feet.

Smart Route

The most realistic mode. Instead of measuring straight-line distances between aisles, Smart Route builds a map of the actual walkable paths inside the store and navigates around shelves, displays, and other obstacles. It combines the best ordering with real pathfinding so the route you see on screen matches the route you actually walk. Best used with a detailed store map.

Comparing Routes

Not sure which mode to pick? Use the route comparison feature to see two routes side by side. Map Your Store shows you:

• The total walking distance for each route.
• The estimated time for each route.
• How much distance and time you save compared to shopping in the order your list was written.

This makes it easy to see the value of optimization at a glance.

Using Route Optimization

1. Open your shopping list and make sure a store is selected.
2. Tap Optimize Route and choose one of the four modes.
3. The optimized route appears on the store map as a highlighted path from entrance to checkout.
4. Follow the path as you shop. Items are reordered to match the route so you can check them off in sequence.

Tips

• For a quick weeknight run with five or six items, Quick Route is perfectly fine. Save the heavier modes for bigger trips.
• Smart Route works best when the store map has accurate aisle placements. If aisles are missing or misplaced, the pathfinding may not reflect reality.
• Use the route comparison feature the first time you try optimization. Seeing the time savings in numbers is a great motivator to keep using it.
• If your store has multiple entrances, make sure the correct entrance is marked on the map so the route starts in the right place.
• The route updates automatically if you add or remove items from your list while shopping.