Shopping and
Snapchat could soon be synonymous. As originally reported by TechCrunch,
the popular social media platform is experimenting with a new visual search
feature called “Eagle.” App researcher Ishan Agarwal was the first to notice
the Snapchat code in the Android version of the app, and has previously been
the tipster behind a number of other app features, including Instagram’s video
calling app, Focus portrait mode, and others.
In essence, in the
case of this latest hidden feature, if you take a photo of a product or its
barcode, you’ll be redirected to Amazon, where you’ll have the option of
purchasing said product. Agarwal discovered the new feature when poking around
the app’s Android code, which details a “Visual Search” feature. The
description notes, “Press and hold to identify an object, song, barcode,
and more! This works by sending data to Amazon, Shazam, and other partners.”
While Snapchat may
have started off as nothing more than a way for friends to share ephemeral
moments with one another, it soon turned into an attempt at a
revenue-generating machine, one that has fallen off in recent months,
especially with increasing competition from rival Instagram. The Facebook-owned
photo-sharing app has copied many of Snapchat’s more popular features, like
Stories, and has managed to attract
a larger user base. This, in turn, has made it more difficult for Snapchat
to make money, which has certainly concerned its investors.
But with its new
Eagle function, the app could be turning things around. If Snapchat is able to
work out an affiliate deal with Amazon — which is to say, get a cut of all
Amazon sales generated by a photo sent through the app — that could represent a
significant new revenue stream.
Snapchat has
indicated several times throughout the year that it is harboring a growing
interest in visual search. Earlier this year, the company reportedly engaged in
talks to acquire machine vision startup Blippar. While these negotiations
ultimately fell through, it comes as little surprise that Snapchat is now
trying to chart its own course in the field. We’ll just have to see what comes
of its latest efforts.
Comments
Post a Comment