Snapchat has announced a new feature for the photo-sharing app; geo-located ‘Context Cards’ that show reviews, maps and other information about individual Snaps.
Just as Google shows maps and opening times for shops and restaurants in search, Snapchat’s new tool surfaces details for places its users have captured images. The company has managed this by integrating its Snap Maps feature with a number of travel and review partner sites, including TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Michelin and Uber.
As a video demo shows, Context Cards are viewed by swiping up on any Snap that says “More”. There you’ll find information about where the image was taken, how to get there, opening times, reviews, Uber connections, Bookatable reservations, etc. Check it out below.
The thinking is presumably: “Oh, my good friend is eating pancakes. They sure look delicious. I wonder where he is. Oh, there he is. The Sunny Café. Yes. I will go there tomorrow. I will spend my hard-earned money as a graphic designer on a stack of pancakes. I will spend my money on them because I have worked very hard. I deserve to be happy. Oh, The Sunny Café is open until 2pm. The reviews are very positive. Those pancakes look delicious. Yes. I will go there tomorrow. Because I deserve to be happy.”
Snapchat says many locations will also have Stories integrated into their Context Cards. The company is planning to expand the details offered by Context Cards, as it grows to encompass information by more partners.
As well as TripAdvisor and Bookatable, the Gwyneth Paltrow-headed lifestyle brand, goop, is also amongst the initial lineup: “Travel is one of our most popular verticals, and a natural extension of Gwyneth’s impetus for starting goop: to create a place where readers can find recommendations from a trusted friend, not from an anonymous, crowd-sourced engine,” said Elise Loehnen, goop’s chief content officer.
You know what they say: A trusted friend is a better advertisement than an algorithm. Facebook too is moving in this direction; letting your friends offer recommendations of restaurants and places to buy things.
Context Cards will be available from 4pm (BST) today in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand, on iOS and Android.
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