Big in Japan Snaps Up Snappr to Expand ShopSavvy Barcode Scanning

Big in Japan has announced that it has acquired Snappr, a pioneer in mobile barcode scanning and creator of the first iPhone application capable of scanning 2D barcodes. The company will incorporate Snappr's technology into ShopSavvy, the leading comparison shopping app for Android and iPhone users.

"Snappr took the concept and technology of two-dimensional QR Codes and packaged them into an easy to use Web service and mobile application," said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. "We are busily working to integrate their technology into ShopSavvy as we expand the functionality and value of the application for both users and retailers."

Founded in 2007 by Philip Stehlik in San Francisco, Snappr introduced a platform to easily create, manage and access mobile content - and then to promote this content in new ways. Users of Snappr could create mobile content with a couple of clicks and promote it via QR Codes through printouts, t-shirts and other apparel, and on social networks like Facebook.


QR Codes, a Japanese technology, can store far more information than standard 1D barcodes, which make them ideal for marketing and advertising use. Through Google's Favorite Places program as well as Big in Japan's Scan with ShopSavvy program and other initiatives, awareness and use of QR Codes by marketers and consumers is on the rise.

"Now that millions of mobile phone users worldwide are equipped with 2D-barcode-capable readers like ShopSavvy, the sky's the limit for QR codes," Muse said. "We are actively working to drive consumer awareness and to work with retailers to leverage this technology in creative ways."

Stehlik, founder and CEO of Snappr, will join Big in Japan's board of advisors. Prior to founding Snappr, he acted as senior developer and project lead at ReadSoft US, where he implemented ReadSoft's SAP solutions at major U.S. corporations like Apple or Boehringer Ingelheim. Stehlik began his career at Ebydos AG in Frankfurt, Germany, where he was responsible for major product implementations at companies like John Deere, REHAU and Schneider Electric.

Ranking as one of the most popular apps on Android phones since its launch in September 2008, ShopSavvy became available on the iPhone in November 2009. ShopSavvy enables users to comparison shop on the go for more than 20 million products at more than 20,000 retailers worldwide, simply by scanning the product's barcode using the phone's built-in camera. Using the barcode information, ShopSavvy searches the Web for the best prices on the product, displaying the lowest prices online as well as at nearby brick-and-mortar retailers. ShopSavvy looks up product reviews to further assist with purchase decisions.