Snapchat announces Visual Search partnership with Amazon

Snap

• Snapchat users will soon be able to use the app’s
  camera to search for products on Amazon through a feature
  called Visual Search.
• When Snapchat users spot an item they want more
  information on, they can point the app’s camera at the product
  or its barcode, pressing down on the screen until the app
  recognizes the item.
• Users will then have the option to purchase the item on
  Amazon. 

Snapchat users will soon be able
to shop on Amazon by taking pictures of whatever catches their
eye.

The app maker said on
Monday that a new feature called Visual Search will allow
users to point the app’s camera at shoes, jackets and other
products to find the item on Amazon and to buy
it. 
The feature,
which is still in testing phase, will bring up information about
a product from Amazon based on just a photo of the item’s barcode
or the physical product itself.

Here’s how it works:

• When Snapchat users spot an item they want more
  information on, they can point the app’s camera at the product
  or its barcode, pressing down on the screen until the app
  recognizes the item.
• A card will then pop up within the Snapchat app with
  information from Amazon on the product.
• Snapchat users can click on the card to purchase the
  item, or search further.

The new feature, which Snap said
will be rolled out “slowly” to users, confirms
a July report by TechCrunch.

The partnership with Amazon is
Snap’s latest move toward giving Snapchat additional
functionality without requiring people to exit the app. The
company opened its doors to more third-party extras in June, with
the

release of Snap
Kit

, a platform that
allows developers to integrate their own apps into Snapchat. The
new platform has been used to let people

send musical GIFs

over Snapchat, but major
companies such as Tinder, Patreon, and Postmates have also
expressed interest in partnerships.

Amazon has previously utilized
the photo-messaging app for exclusive “

Snap Deals

,” or promo codes that users can enter when
shopping on Amazon to get discounts on particular
products.

Snapchat is seeking to regain
momentum with consumers and investors,
amid reports indicating that users are spending less time on the
app. 
The company
has also lost a growing number of executives in the past year,
including
the company’s chief strategy officer, Imran
Khan. 

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