Snap acquires Berlin company that helps online shoppers pick clothes that fit properly

Snap has acquired a Berlin-based firm that helps consumers pick the right size of clothing when they shop online, the social media company said Wednesday. The companies did not disclose the size of the deal.

Fit Analytics is the maker of a product called Fit Finder, which businesses use to help online customers pick properly fitting clothes in an effort to reduce returns. Fit Finder uses machine learning and customer-provided information to make its recommendations.

Snap is acquiring the company as part of a long-term push to bring more e-commerce and in-app purchases to Snapchat. Snap is making in-app purchases a greater priority partly to balance upcoming privacy changes to Apple’s iOS devices. Those changes will make it harder for companies like Snap to track how well their ads led to purchases, spurring them to find alternative sources of revenue.

“Our main focus going forward will be to scale the Fit Analytics business and work with Snap to grow their shopping platform, leveraging our technology and expertise,” Fit Analytics said in a post announcing the acquisition.

More than 100 Fit Analytics employees will join Snap and continue to operate out of Berlin. The company will also continue to build Fit Finder and other products for its clients. The team will also work closely with Snap’s product group on e-commerce and shopping products, Snap said.

“Longer term, we’re investing in using first-party data from our platform, and providing more opportunities for on-platform conversion, which will really help,” Snap Chief Business Officer Jeremi Gorman said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call in February.

Source: CNBC