Shazam and Target are going high fashion in Vogue. Thanks to the software’s new digital recognition feature, Vogue readers who like what they see in a Target ad can go straight to the source, taking the print magazine into the digital realm. By using Shazam, potential consumers simply scan the images (much like they would a QR code), whereupon they’re immediately transported into a mobile shopping experience, rendering the otherwise tedious task of separately finding and visiting a website all but obsolete. As Todd Waterbury, the chief creative officer of Target told The New York Times, “The ability to be one click away from a product that we sell is essential. We’re always looking for ways to complete that experience in the easiest way possible.”
Nearly 100 products from the retail giant will appear in the September issue of the iconic fashion publication, and around 30 of them will be instantly available to readers by way of the Shazam-enabled “shop now” button. By putting buyers in direct contact with potential goods “as quickly as possible,” both Target and Vogue are looking to capitalize on the instant gratification component of online shopping that has recently swept the tech industry, with companies like Google and Facebook enabling their sites with “buy now” functions.
Target and Vogue certainly aren’t the first to jump on the new Shazam digital recognition train. In fact, both Levi’s and the Walt Disney Company have already run advertisements that leverage this recently released feature, which first debuted in May. Indeed, the promise of a “custom mobile experiences including interactive content, special offers, and ability to purchase items or share them with others” has been wildly beguiling for several of Shazam’s partners, including HarperCollins Publishers, Esquire, and Merchbar.
So if you find yourself admiring the quirky Target ads in the glossy pages of Vogue in the coming months, don’t forget to whip out your phone and see just how much that bauble will set you back. After all, the easier it is to buy, the more you’ll indulge, right?