KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 600,000 Malaysians have downloaded the government’s PriceCatcher app, reflecting growing public reliance on real-time retail price data to track the cost of everyday goods, says Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister said the app, which draws from the ministry’s MyHarga database, records about 10,000 active visitors a week, helping consumers compare prices and avoid potential manipulation.
“PriceCatcher’s real-time data feed has been expanded through ongoing collaborations with major supermarket chains, including Mydin and Redtick, with more retailers added this year,” he said in a parliamentary written reply.
Armizan said the ministry’s long-running Price Monitoring Programme now involves 2,170 premises and keeps tabs on 316 items across six categories, supported by more than 850 price monitoring officers who conduct daily, weekly and monthly checks.
The “jom kongsi” feature within the app, which allows users to share price information, further empowers consumers by broadening visibility of retail trends on the ground, he added in his reply to Parit MP Muhammad Ismi Mat Taib, who asked about the ministry’s plans to establish a real-time retail price database.
