Instead of braving the 4 AM crowds in search of a
bargain, Israel's Superfish has technology to keep you safe at home,
shopping online.
shopping bah
Friday is the day America goes shopping. They call the day after
Thanksgiving “Black Friday,” because that is supposed to be the day
retail stores go “into the black,” finally turning a profit after all
their costs for the rest of the year are taken into account. But if
you've ever been caught up in a Black Friday shopping crowd, you may
have thought there was another reason for the name: There may be
bargains galore, but if you don't fancy yourself the type to get into
pulling wars with other shoppers grabbing the last of a super-discounted
item, or don't like the idea of having to wait on line at 4 AM to get a
decent buy, you're probably the type to avoid Black Friday, anyway.
Besides, you don't need the bricks and mortars; there are plenty of bargains on the internet. And Givat Shmuel-based Superfish is there to help you ferret them out, with the Superfish Window Shopper.
Superfish
develops picture recognition technology for web images, with the
technology analyzing one image and identifying similar images from
around the web. The system break down images into recognizable
components and searches the web to find matches, presenting them as alternative
choices for the image the user is looking at. The technology is not
unlike Google's, which searches text strings on indexed sites for
matches and presents them to users in its search engine. Superfish does
the same thing for images.
While the
technology has many uses, Superfish decided to try out its with a
shopping app. To use it, go to a major shopping site like Amazon,
Buy.com, Walmart.com, etc., that sell apparel, footwear, jewelry, handbags
and accessories (it actually works on many smaller sites as well). An
icon appears next to each image, which, when you click on it, pops up
and displays visually similar products from hundreds of stores. Clicking
on those links transports you to the competing site, where, hopefully,
you'll be able to get a better deal – or a product more suited to your
needs.
The company recently raised $4
million in series C funding, so it's still in startup mode – but money
is already beginning to roll in from the clicks people do to reach
products presented by Window Shopper. “All the sites we work with run affiliate programs,
so we earn a little money each time a customer clicks on one of our
links and makes a purchase,” says Superfish CEO Adi Pinhas. The company
is also considering developing a mobile phone
version of the app, so shoppers can use it “on the go.” Meanwhile, says
Pinhas, it's perfect for stay-at-home shoppers who prefer to keep their
Black Friday experiences virtual. “When people go shopping, especially
on the internet, they're often 'fishing,' searching for the right deal,”
Pinhas says. “We help them supercharge their fishing expedition.”
