A startup called Cherry has launched a new app that aims to transform the online shopping experience with its artificial intelligence assistant, allowing users to discover items on the internet with just a screenshot or picture. Cherry helps you find products you browse on social media or see in real life.
The startup was founded by software engineer Ryan Kim, who has 20 years of experience in the e-commerce ecosystem. Before founding the company, Kim helped start-ups and large enterprises build about 30 online stores.
"My motivation for creating Cherry stemmed from my personal dissatisfaction with the time-consuming process of finding and comparing products online," said Kim. "I wanted to use my expertise to develop a tool that streamlines product discovery and comparison, making it easier for users to find what they are looking for quickly and efficiently."
Suppose you find a piece of clothing you like in a physical store, but think it’s too expensive. You can take a photo of it and try using Cherry to find similar clothes online at a cheaper price. Or, let's say you're browsing TikTok and see a widget that you think looks interesting. You can take a screenshot and find it through Cherry.
Cherry’s underlying AI technology leverages the power of Google and Bing (powered by OpenAI) to search data directly on the user’s device.
Kim said that while users can search for similar items on services like Google Lens, Cherry differs from other services in that it allows users to sort search results by price, bookmark items and view their image search history to search for items again. Additionally, users can share search results with friends or on social media. Cherry is also currently developing a points reward system that allows users to earn points during the search process and redeem the points for exclusive offers from the brand.
"Google Lens offers general image-based search capabilities, while Cherry is specifically tailored for the shopping experience. Our app delivers search results with the same speed and accuracy as Google, but we're expanding our reach by integrating more Lenses (currently including Bing Visual Search) to deliver a broader range of search results."
Cherry is still in the early stages of user acquisition and currently has around 5,000 users. The startup targets young users and helps them find products that best fit their needs and budget.
As for the future, Cherry's focus is on expanding its user base, integrating with online retailers, launching personalized shopping recommendations, and "selecting" the best products for users. The company is also exploring opportunities to partner with brands for exclusive offers and promotions.
Cherry is available on iOS and Android.