App aims to revolutionise m-commerce

24 September 2012 - 12:36

A new iPhone app, designed by a recent university graduate, has secured plenty of media coverage because of the impressive potential which it demonstrated in the world of safe shopping online.

Snap Fashion, which was created by 25 year old Jenny Griffiths, is unique in its market because it takes advantage of visual search technology, to help people find clothes and accessories that they might want to buy.

Harnessing a smartphone's camera, the user of the app can take a picture of an item of clothing which they like and the software will then use this data to find a similar product from one of a number of online outlets.

The app can also harness links to images that you find on the web, for example of a celebrity wearing a fashionable item and find you the closest approximation to this that you can purchase from a consumer outlet.

Google is of course leading the way when it comes to visual search, but the Snap Fashion app is taking the technology in a new and exciting direction and is, of course, working on a much smaller scale than its multinational rival.

A variety of major retailers which offer safe shopping online services have already joined forces with this m-commerce app, with the likes of Selfridges and Urban Outfitters displaying their confidence in the technology because of their involvement.

Private investors and public grants have also been secured by the company, which is based in London.

It will be interesting to see whether this visual search tool for fashion shopping takes off, or indeed just how accurate the technology is, because it will, ultimately, stand or fall on this capability and needs to quickly demonstrate its competence, in order to keep customers coming back for more.