Purch Acquires ShopSavvy mCommerce Startup

For a brief period in the 90s and early 2000s, it was more important for small businesses just to have websites than to make sure they functioned as smooth eCommerce portals. Now, however, those are two sides of the same coin, and publisher Purch is making sure they’re well-positioned to take advantage of online ordering‘s popularity, no matter if it falls heads or tails.

Purch announced Thursday (Dec. 17) that it had acquired ShopSavvy, the Android and iOS mobile shopping app that counts 1 million active monthly users to its name. With ShopSavvy as Purch’s fourth acquisition of 2015, CEO Greg Mason explained that the company could not have ended the calendar year on a stronger note.

“2015 has been a big year for Purch, and we’re thrilled to close it with such a valuable addition to our portfolio of brands, services and technologies,” Mason said in a statement. “Mobile apps are the future of mobile content and shopping. ShopSavvy supports our strategy of service-oriented publishing and building a loyal user base. Not only are we gaining an app with new monetization opportunities but also incredible talent, a powerful technology infrastructure that will be integrated across our portfolio of sites and a massive user base.”

In an interview with TechCrunch, Mason explained that the addition of ShopSavvy to Purch’s team allows it to function more adeptly as an eCommerce outlet. To date, Mason noted that Purch has been very good at helping shoppers find the exact item they want but not necessarily at price points that are appealing to them. With ShopSavvy’s experience in mobile search and cross-platform price referencing, Mason hopes to upgrade the user experience with Purch in the near future.

“Across our current portfolio, there’s not a lot that we do in terms of price or deals or special offers,” Mason told TechCrunch. “ShopSavvy has a lot of the raw material that we need to create a well-informed user experience.”