app for iPhone this week added “Flow,” an image recognition tool
designed to allow consumers to add a product to their shopping cart by
merely pointing their phone’s camera at it.
Flow—as its name suggests—aims to make it as seamless as possible to
shop. MarketWatch carried out its own “showrooming” with the app.
Scanning a three-bottle package of the hair growth serum Rogaine, Flow
immediately found the item on Amazon for $43.85, 30% cheaper than the
$62.99 price in a Duane Reade store. Russell Stover Pecan Delights—a
heart-shaped box of chocolates just in time for Valentine’s Day—were
$8.99 online, $1 cheaper than in Duane Reade. “This trend will take some
time to grab hold,” says retail analyst Jeff Green, “but it’s an
ingenious idea.”
Flow can scan millions of items, according to Amazon, but it won’t work
with older iOS versions and it’s not yet available on Android. The
feature will replace “Snap It” as an image recognition search feature on
the Amazon iPhone app (iOS7 and above). iOS5 and iOS6 customers will
still be able to use Snap It for visual product recognition. “Scan
It”—which just scans bar codes—remains unchanged. However, Amazon
pitches Flow as something to use at home—rather than as a
price-comparison tool in stores. “In some ways, Flow replaces the
kitchen white board or chalk board where most families keep their
growing list—only this way you don’t accidentally forget the shampoo,”
the spokeswoman says.
It’s clever and fun to use, but it’s not entirely foolproof. Pointing
the iPhone at a packet of Gillette Mach3 Jetables ($11.99 in Duane
Reade), Flow repeatedly couldn’t get a reading on the shiny plastic
packaging and eventually gave the following message: “Try pointing your
camera at something flat like a book, DVD, videogame or bar code.”
Flow’s first suggestion for a six-pack of Old Spice Fiji deodorant was
more expensive online ($42.77 or $7.12 each) than in Duane Reade ($4.99,
down from $6.49). The tool also had more trouble providing an option
for bottles of Listerine Ultraclean mouthwash—possibly due to the
numerous different sizes and versions—and electric toothbrush
replacements, likely due to the small/concealed label.
Retail experts are divided over its usefulness. “This strikes me as the
lazy man’s shopping robot,” says Edgar Dworsky, founder of
ConsumerWorld.org. “If you can’t even type in the name of the product,
give me a break. Most people in a supermarket are not going to take a
picture of a Cheerios box, and then leave the store to go to a
competitor where it’s 20 cents cheaper,” he says. And it’s not
appropriate for big ticket items like TVs, he adds. It’s rather
gimmicky, according Rick Singer, CEO of GreatApps.com, but he still
regards it as a good tool to compare prices at your local store to those
on Amazon.
source:marketwatch
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