Shop online with image search: Snapchat and Amazon take a leaf out of Taobao’s play book

Popular multimedia messaging app Snapchat is partnering up with Amazon.com in e-commerce to offer a feature that lets users take a picture of an item in real-life and buy it online – following in the footsteps of Alibaba Group Holding’s shopping platforms Taobao Marketplace and Tmall, which have had this feature for several years.

Snapchat, famous for the way pictures and messages sent via its platform disappear after a certain period of time, said in a blog post on Monday that its new “visual search” function lets users point their camera at any item in the real world and snap a picture to search for the product. If Amazon recognises the item, it will offer up a link that redirects users to the e-commerce site, where they can continue browsing or complete the purchase.

The feature is still in an initial launch phase according to Snap’s statement, so only a small number of users in the US can use it currently. But this kind of visual search function has been a staple in Chinese e-commerce apps Taobao and Tmall since 2014, accessible via the search bar.

Based on a photo uploaded or taken by the user, consumer-to-consumer platform Taobao offers up listings that it thinks are similar to the image searched. The feature is helpful especially when users are searching for an item where they have no knowledge of the name or brand.

Snap and Amazon’s move comes as more companies globally take inspiration from some of the innovations of Chinese tech companies, many of which have spearheaded mobile-first strategies thanks to the country’s leapfrogging of the PC era.