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Samsung & Trade Me offer AI-powered shopping
Thu, 14th Feb 2019
FYI, this story is more than a year old

So you want to buy a mug that looks like your coworker's quirky one that sits in your office; or maybe you want to find a pair of shoes like the ones you already have.

That can be a mission at times, but AI technology is starting to lend a helping hand, with more retailers' apps allowing you to take a photo of an item and send it to them so it can make a similar suggestion. The Warehouse is one such retailer.

Now Trade Me has jumped on the bandwagon in partnership with Samsung's Bixby Vision app to launch Trade Me for Bixby Vision – but you need a premium Samsung smartphone to be able to use it. Those smartphones include the Galaxy Note9, Note8, S9, S9+, S8, S8+, and even the Galaxy Tab S4 and Galaxy Tab 10.5” tablets.

This, Trade Me says, is a ‘glimpse into the future of shopping'.

Trade Me's head of Mobile Nick Parfene adds that smartphone cameras are used for so many things that it seemed like a natural evolution to incorporate it into online shopping.

“Each week we see over 20 million searches from Kiwis using Samsung devices and now these users can ‘point and shop' with their smartphone camera. This is the first step for us and we're excited to be offering Samsung users a first glimpse into what shopping online will be like in the future.

Essentially, Bixby Vision is able to analyse images on Samsung devices and send them to Trade Me. With a bit of machine learning magic, Trade Me is able to find similar products based on the category, keyword and, in some instances, colour. Search results are shown instantly, straight from the camera app.

Samsung New Zealand's head of mobile product Todd Selwyn believes Kiwis are always looking for more convenient and fulfilling shopping experiences.

“Trade Me is one of the most popular local apps downloaded by our customers and Samsung is always looking for ways to push the boundaries in mobile technology.

“The camera is the most used feature on the smartphone, and by integrating Samsung's Bixby Vision with Trade Me's image search function, we're providing Kiwis with a new way to shop and find inspiration online,” Selwyn continues.

He says Samsung is excited about the possibility of developing more applications for its AI-enabled smartphones in the future.

Trade Me for Bixby Vision is now available to download on Samsung premium smartphones, including the Galaxy Note9, Note8, S9, S9+, S8, S8+, and even the Galaxy Tab S4 and Galaxy Tab 10.5” tablets.

To download, launch the camera on your applicable Samsung smartphone, touch the Bixby Vision icon, then scroll through the icon bar to find ‘Downloads', and select ‘Trade Me'.