Google buys Irish retail tech startup Pointy
Google is set to acquire Pointy, an Irish startup that helps people find out what their local stores have in stock.
Terms of the deal, expected to close in the coming weeks, were not disclosed, although according to media reports Google is shelling out €147 million.
Merchants plug a small box into their barcode scanner or install the Pointy app on their Point of Sale system, which surfaces the products that they sell directly into the “See what’s in store” section of their business profile on Google Search.
“Since we introduced this functionality a few years ago, Pointy has been one of our key partners, helping thousands of local merchants display this data within Google. We’re looking forward to working with Pointy to help even more local retailers bring their product inventory online,” a blog post notes.
“When we started Pointy, our mission was to make things better for local retailers. That remains our mission today. All of our services continue to operate as usual. We look forward to building even better services in the future, with the backing of Google’s resources and reach,” Pointy’s founders said in an online statement.
