Pounce for iOS App Let's You Scan Pictures of Products and Buy Them Online
An app from BuyCode, Inc. called “Pounce” lets you point your smartphone camera at a photo of a product in a print circular, newspaper, or magazine and then buy the item from that retail outlet with just a couple of taps. When you click “Buy Now”, the retailer ships the item directly to you.
Currently, retailers you can buy from are limited to Pounce’s partners, which include Ace Hardware, Staples, Target, Toys R Us, and Babies R Us, but it appears that more partners are in the offing.
The app keeps your purchasing information, including shipping and billing addresses, locked on your phone; it doesn’t store that information anywhere remotely. Further, the transaction uses an SSL connection and encryption for data stored on your phone. For now, Pounce is only available on iOS, but an Android version is coming soon, as well.
Essentially, Pounce is a manifestation of improved image recognition technology, which is an exciting trend even if retail applications currently seem to be the premier use for it.
Currently, retailers you can buy from are limited to Pounce’s partners, which include Ace Hardware, Staples, Target, Toys R Us, and Babies R Us, but it appears that more partners are in the offing.
The app keeps your purchasing information, including shipping and billing addresses, locked on your phone; it doesn’t store that information anywhere remotely. Further, the transaction uses an SSL connection and encryption for data stored on your phone. For now, Pounce is only available on iOS, but an Android version is coming soon, as well.
Essentially, Pounce is a manifestation of improved image recognition technology, which is an exciting trend even if retail applications currently seem to be the premier use for it.
