Staples unveils its own Windows Store app for Staples.com

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Office supply giant Staples Inc. announced Wednesday the launch of its own Windows Store app for Staples.com, which provides customers with access to Staples Rewards and features tools that make it easier for small businesses to research and shop for everything they need for their business or home office.

The app is designed to exploit the latest features of personal computers, laptops, and tablets that use Windows 8, and it gives the owners of such devices a more efficient shopping experience at the company’s e-commerce websites, Framingham-based Staples said in a press release.

Users can pin commonly used features of the Staples app to their Windows 8 Start screen, including an ink and toner finder, a printer finder, and their “lists” section, where they create and share distinctive lists of Staples products, like “my favorites” or “recent orders,” Staples said.

“Staples customers are very excited about the new computers and tablets featuring Windows 8, and we’re enhancing the Staples.com experience for Windows 8 users,” Steve Bussberg, senior vice president of Staples.com, said in a statement. “Staples makes things easier for small businesses by using the latest technology, and the Staples Windows Store app enables customers to shop Staples even faster.”

The app was created through team collaboration at the Staples Velocity Lab, the company’s Cambridge facility that houses teams responsible for designing and implementing innovative new e-commerce and mobile solutions across Staples global business units.