Snap Inc. is teaming up with with Amazon.com Inc. to let users of its Snapchat social-media app buy products based on what they see through their smartphone’s camera lenses.
Snapchat’s app opens up to a camera, which people can use to send disappearing images and videos to their friends. Now, users will be able to point the Snapchat camera at a product they see in the real world to scan its image or barcode. If Amazon recognizes the item, it will present a link to purchase it on the retail giant’s app or website, Snap said Monday in a blog post.
The shopping tool, which is only available to a small set of users in the U.S. for now, could eventually present another source of revenue for the troubled social-media company. Snap shares rose 0.6 per cent to US$9.19 at 12:31 p.m. in New York on the news, reversing an earlier decline. The Los Angeles-based company, which went public at US$17 a share last year, has posted disappointing revenue growth and user additions in some recent quarters.
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