Pinterest is experimenting with camera-search technology that will let users shop for items they photograph with their phones, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The new image discovery feature, which was tested this June, is meant to link users to retail sites so they can purchase items similar to what they see in the real world. When users snap a photo of something they like, Pinterest will delve into its database of 75 billion images to find products that look like what was photographed.
The company is still fixing issues with the feature, like the fact that it sometimes can't find the product that matches exactly what the camera captured.
Pinterest, which is currently valued at $11 billion, seems to be transitioning into the e-commerce world with its camera-search technology as well as the visual search and buyable pin features it unveiled earlier this year. These new technologies are likely meant to persuade retailers to increase the amounts they're spending on ads, in turn creating more revenue for Pinterest.
Currently, Pinterest uses advertising as its main source of revenue. The company generated $100 million last year by showing ads to its about 55 million active user base, according to The Wall Street Journal.