Pounce, a mobile shopping app that allows consumers to purchase items directly from their phone by snapping photos of items found in print ads and catalogs, released a new version on Tuesday, TechCrunch reported.
The new version of the app is expected to improve the user's overall experience and helps them find and compare deals. The company has added a couple of new features that make this kind of mobile shopping experience more feature-complete when compared to traditional e-commerce.
Customers can now select different colors and sizes for fashion and apparel items, as well as magnify images to get a closer look, for example. Facilitating direct purchases is one of the tougher issues the recently launched startup has been tackling when dealing with mobile commerce.
Unlike companies like Pinterest and Wanelo who directs users to a retailer's website when a
While a number of companies, from Pinterest to Wanelo and many others, have improved product discovery immensely, when it comes to actually buying the items, users are typically redirected to a retailer's website, which may or may not be mobile-optimized.
Customers then get frustrated with the checkout process, and often just give up, TechCrunch reported. Pounce hopes to remedy that frustration. The startup has been designed to make mobile shopping work in just a few taps.
Pounce, which first launched earlier this year, offers image recognition capabilities that let the consumer simply snap a photo of an item advertised in a catalog or print, without a barcode or QR code to scan.
The company that produced the app works with retailer partners and third parties to build up its product database, linking item photos to inventory and pricing information.
During checkout, shoppers aren't buying from Pounce, but are purchasing directly from the retailer, via the application, at the same price as if they bought directly from the retailer's website.
"Within, literally, 20 to 30 seconds...you can use our app to scan the item, the application will automatically recognize the item, and we allow you to purchase the item in just one or two clicks," CEO Avital Yachin told TechCrunch. "The whole point is that you don't have to type in your billing information and shipping information over and over again.
"It's two-click checkout from major retailers," he said.
With the simplified checkout option, retailers have the opportunity to compete against Amazon's patented one-click checkout.
Pounce supports retailers like Macy's, Target, Toys "R" Us and Staples. Yachin said Pounce plans to support a few other retailers before the holidays, including Best Buy. Soon, Pounce will support using gift cards and discount/coupon codes at checkout, as well as an option to buy online and pick-up in the store, TechCrunch reported.
The new version of Pounce for iOS is available for download here.
