Snapchat moves into personalised mobile search
Is Snapchat considering an expansion into contextual search as a way to experiment with new promising features?
Is Snapchat considering an expansion into contextual search as a way to experiment with new promising features?
Is Snapchat considering an expansion into contextual search as a way to experiment with new promising features?
Snapchat is not ready to surrender from the continuous effort to stay competitive and although a battle with Facebook and Instagram may be hard, it is still examining new paths to expand, hoping to maintain its relevance.
According to The Information, Snapchat is about to buy Vurb for more than $100 million, flirting with personalised mobile search.
The deal is rumoured to include both cash and stock options, leading up to $200 million for the purchase of the winner of TechCrunch Disrupt of 2014.
Although Snapchat doesn’t usually confirm all its moves, Business Insider has confirmed the deal, which means that it’s time to learn more about Vurb and why Snapchat paid this sum to acquire it.
Vurb is a personalised search and recommendation app that compiles data from many different apps in order to facilitate the mobile search function for users in the most simple and personalised way.
It sounds like a mobile version of Google’s Knowledge Graph, but in a more appealing way, including more options.
Vurb is promoting its app with the phrase: “search less, do more”, which shows its focus on tailored searches full of rich content and personalised recommendations.
It’s an app that lets users read reviews before planning a movie night, get directions through Google Maps, request an Uber ride, or make a reservation to their favourite restaurant.
What’s more, it is also offering dynamic and shareable lists named Vurb Decks as a personalised curation of a user’s favourite places and interests. While Vurb Chat enhances communication and once again makes the sharing of any type of information easy and functional.
The focus on community is shown by the ability to follow recommendations from influencers and friends, while the Today tab that was recently introduced allows people to stay up-to-date with the latest worldwide trends, again depending on their interests.
Last but not least, search results are prioritised depending on the user’s personal preferences, the location, the time, or even the local weather.
It feels like a competitor for Google Now, or Siri, but now it’s up to Snapchat to decide how to use this technology.
All the above suggestions on how Snapchat could use Vurb offer an indication of how such an acquisition may open new paths for the popular social platform, but yet, we are still waiting for Snapchat to make any official announcement, or even to present a new technology in the near future that could hint the integration of Vurb.
In case you’re still wondering whether the addition of Vurb was a good idea for Snapchat, here’s a title found on Vurb’s blog regarding its app, which I personally found as the best summary on what Snapchat sees in the particular app:
“The Next Step for Mobile Search: Community, Content, and Personalized Recommendations”
We cannot predict what the future holds for both the apps, but what we can tell is that Snapchat is probably heading in the right direction, trying to stand out with its own unique features while evolving them to maintain its relevance.
It won’t be easy in the next months (not even to mention the next years), but such acquisitions indicate that it is becoming serious about its future and its usefulness, both for users and brands. And this is a good sign.