(Editor’s Note: This is an article originally written in 2018 and accidentally republished with today’s date. The information contained herein is old and no longer reliable. We apologize for the error.)
Snap Inc. (SNAP), the parent company of the photo and video sharing app Snapchat, announced in September. 24 that they start the visual search. The new feature that was first announced in July. 2018 will enable smartphone cameras to identify products, songs and item barcodes on Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and then link Snapchat users to Amazon product lists.
(See also: Snap Inc. to launch the gaming platform this fall.)
The official Snap site made this announcement on Sep. 24:
Starting this week we’re testing a new way to search for products on Amazon directly from the Snapchat camera … It’s super easy to use. Just point your Snapchat camera at a physical product or barcode and press and hold the camera screen to begin.
When the item or barcode is recognized, an Amazon card will appear on the screen with a link for that product or similar products available on Amazon. Tap your selection to visit the Amazon app (if installed on your phone) or Amazon.com, where you can complete your purchase or continue browsing.
Snapchat: The future is now
We all knew this was coming. Features like visual search have literally been in the works since the dawn of social media, but Snap could be the dominant player in that market right now. The concept of taking a picture as a direct delivery system to the retailer finally makes it clear to everyone how unsubscribed social media platforms planned to monetize. The Snap announcement provided a demonstration of how the feature works:
(Image: Snapchat)
Deal could help SNAP fend off FB
Facebook has been criticized for copying many of Snapchat’s features, especially within its burgeoning Instagram platform. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy seems to be working, because Instagram’s rival Stories now has twice as many users and is growing six times faster than the application of Snap.
A partnership with Amazon would help develop the Snapchat platform from social media Competitors by diversifying into unique object identification and navigation related functions. It could also provide Snapchat with affiliate bonuses for purchases on a global scale E-Commerce Platform. Many companies like Wirecutter have been able to stay afloat by relying on this referral income from linking them to Amazon products. Snapchat lists around 191 million users every day, which could mean a lot of money for the company.
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