The photo sharing company is working on turning its camera into a visual search engine that will link users to Amazon listings. The unreleased feature was spotted in the code of Snapchat’s Android app by an app researcher working with TechCrunch, who hinted off the feature that appears to be in the works for the mobile camera app — which was found in the app’s code after a recent Android update.
Discovered by Ishan Agarwal, the latest details reveal strings referencing Amazon in context with the project codenamed Eagle helping users get started with the new feature. The feature appears to be able to scan and identify objects that the Snapchat camera is pointed at, and then link users to the Amazon pages for the product.
How it works
The new feature is simple to use and easy to comprehend. All most same way, you take hold to view all snap filters which pops up, with this you have to “Press and hold to identify an object, song, barcode, and more. And this feature will “works by sending data to Amazon, Shazam, and other partners,” the code says. Once a barcode is scanned, the app will offer a “see all results at Amazon” button.
Amazingly, this is not Snapchat’s first integration with another digital service. It partnered with the app Shazam back in 2016 to identify songs through the microphone. But by integrating itself into the Amazon shopping process and expanding its utility beyond social media, Snap may tap into a sizeable e-commerce community and draw in fresh users. An influx of eyes could bolster the appeal of advertisers and in turn drive revenue, and the potential for referral deals with Amazon could prove another source of income.
However, There isn’t a confirmation that there would be an affiliate bonus for Amazon purchases made through Snapchat’s referrals, but companies like Wirecutter have been able to stay afloat by relying on referral revenue according to recode, from linking to Amazon products in their reviews.
Amazon has been working on visual search tools for nearly a decade, and last year began baking the feature into Samsung phones. The company’s potential partnership with Snap seems like a natural next step in its aggressive push to infiltrate and cash in on our every waking moment.
Snapchat’s cross-platform support could make this object recognition technology more accessible, but it’ll have to convince users that its app is about more than messaging friends and sharing Stories. With over 191 million users per day, according to Statista estimates, which could make this partnership lucrative if it comes to fruition.
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