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Snapchat partners with Amazon for new ‘Visual Search’ shopping feature

Following Instagram’s announcement of new shopping features last week, Snapchat is joining the fun with a new partnership with Amazon. As announced in a blog post, the company is partnering with Amazon for a new Visual Search shopping feature.

According to Snapchat, its new Visual Search functionality will allow users to point their Snap camera at a physical product or a barcode and press and hold on the screen to identify the product. From there, an Amazon popup will appear, allowing you to quickly and easily buy the product, see reviews, and look at similar products.

Here’s how Snap itself explains it:

It’s super easy to use. Simply point your Snapchat camera at a physical product or barcode, and press and hold on the camera screen to get started.

When the item or barcode is recognized, an Amazon card will appear on-screen, surfacing a link for that product or similar ones available on Amazon. Tap your selection to visit the Amazon App (if you have it installed on your phone) or Amazon.com, where you can complete your purchase or keep browsing.

Snapchat says it is rolling the feature to users slowly starting this week. The addition of Visual Search comes as Snapchat and Instagram look for additional revenue sources, with online shopping being one of their biggest targets. For Snapchat specifically, the company reported its first-ever decline in active users last quarter, and while its revenue grew, it still reported a net loss of $353 million.

Snapchat is available as a free download today. If you don’t see the new Visual Search feature right away, be patient as the company warns it might take a while for everyone to see it. Do you see yourself using Visual Search to identify and purchase products? Let us know down in the comments section below!


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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Email: Chance@9to5mac.com

Chance currently writes for both 9to5Google and 9to5Mac, in addition to 9to5Toys.