Denis Opudo
Port Harcourt is one of the important ports that serve the Nigerian economy and the neighbouring countries. Touchabl is a Port Harcourt based startup. The startup launched an app that will help people to search and shop by clicking on the pictures of the items they intend to buy. The Touchabl app worked with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
The pictures might be shoes or any other item that is either on their timeline or their phone photo gallery. One can view the photo by simply touching and receiving much-anticipated information about it. According to the founder and the CEO, Gabriel Eze said that the company believes that the move will change how discoveries about some issues are viewed on 675 billion photos shared online daily. Despite the fact that the app was designed specifically for lifestyle and fashion, the app can be used for education and medical sciences amongst other issues.
Touchabl app caters for those who are visually impaired, giving them an opportunity to have the required information on pictures of their interest. The app which was launched on Android in October 2017 is expecting to use the high number of those individuals who possess smartphones. The app also looks forward to maximizing the growing number of online marketing in Africa and the rest of the world. Projections are that come 2025, online shopping for fashion and lifestyle products will be more digital, and the highest number of the customers expected to use the platform is young people globally.
This age group made 30% of their luxury goods using the online platform in 2017 alone, and this is a huge change on how traditional luxury goods consumer shops used to operate. Getting the latest fashion is by now easier at the same time. The Touchabl app helps businesses and manufacturers to know the preferred brands by some individuals which later on help the businesses to improve their products to attract more buyers.
The startup which funds its operations has realized around 200% in downloads. Nigeria, India and U.S make up 95% of its user base by now. The idea embraced in countries like Kenya, Ghana, UK, Russia, Germany and Italy. The startup is majoring on commanding the Nigerian market first before shifting its attention to the other countries.
