High-end fashion retailer Neiman Marcus is rolling out a new feature in its mobile app that won’t just let customers search for products they like, but lets them buy the products seconds after they see an item on the street, according to Internet Retailer.
The new feature, dubbed “Snap. Find. Shop,” allows a customer with the mobile app to take a picture of a handbag or shoes worn by anyone — even “someone on the street,” a Neiman spokesman said. The app then uses image-recognition from software developer Slyce to perform a 3-D visual search and immediately offer the customer several similar options to buy through the app immediately.
While visual search has become a mainstay of apparel-retailer websites, combining it with instant purchase in a mobile app raises the instant-gratification level, according to the chain.
“I see those shoes, I want them, I can purchase them right then and there,” the spokesman said, adding that the retailer made integrating the new feature into its existing app a priority, so customers wouldn’t have to download a separate app to use the technology.
Neiman plans to expand the feature to include product lines other than handbags and shoes in the near future.
