Shopping Instagram Gets Easier with Geenee

Ever have one of those moments where you see something crop up in a picture or the like and have that feeling that you’ve seen it somewhere before? For those of you who have had that experience, and I’m among them, there’s great news in the form of Geenee, a new app that lets Instagram users identify and locate items.

Users start both Instagram and Geenee at the same time, having both running simultaneously. Then, when a user spots something noteworthy, users can take a snapshot of the photo, which is routed through Geenee’s systems. Geenee can then send notifications of potential items, and where these can be purchased.

Though the matches aren’t always a hundred percent, several alternatives are provided so that users have a better idea of what they’re looking at and where it might be found.

The app only launched earlier this month, and it’s raised about $4.4 million just in its Series A funding round. Its founder, Thorsten Magers, thinks that the app’s services could ultimately be used in other ways. Those interested in trying it out can get in now, with both iOS and Android versions available.

It’s not out of line to think that something like this could be used elsewhere, and it’s not actually the first time something like this has emerged. The CamFind app, for example, is what’s called a “visual search engine,” which allows users to take pictures of things and identify them via search. Geenee seems to be similar to that, but with the particular focus on Instagram and shopping.

These are great market verticals—it’s where a lot of the money is—and if Geenee can expand outward into other visual search applications or even potentially biometrics it might be able to really clean house in the market. If it connected a mobile payment service with its operations, allowing for one-click purchasing from the search, it might do even better.

Regardless, it will be good to have a Geenee in your corner, especially when you almost recognize a certain item but just can’t quite place what it is or where to get it.