Google announced that it is acquiring Pointy, an Irish retail startup firm, which lets users check stores for stock availability by letting "local retailers bring their product inventory online." Peter Chane, Senior Director, Local SMB Products, stated in the blog post:
One of the challenges small merchants face is getting their in-store inventory information online in a way that is easy to manage and reliably up to date.
With Pointy, retailers are able to solve this problem by simply plugging a small box into their barcode scanner, or installing the Pointy app on their point of sale (POS) system. This data will then be resurfaced in Google Search"s "See what"s in store" feature. Pointy stated that it has "developed a very close partnership with Google" over the past several years, and it had become apparent that both companies" shared the same vision of how technology can improve local retail businesses", and hopes to "building even better services in the future" with Google"s "resources and reach."
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The companies did not disclose the sale price, with Google noting that "the deal is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the coming weeks."
Source: Google | Images via 9to5Google