Groupon said today that it has launched Snap, a new mobile app that gives people cash for buying certain groceries and packaged goods found at everyday supermarkets. The app works in both the U.S. and in Canada on both Android devices and iPhones. To earn money, consumers must buy items listed in the app, and then take a picture of their receipt to verify the purchase. Once a user accumulates $20 in cash back, they’re paid out.
Groupon continues apace with its plans to evolve from an online daily deals giant into a wider e-commerce player, with an emphasis on mobile and local purchases. Today the company is launching a new app called Snap — which provides iOS and Android users with a set list of products, and gives you money back when you purchase them, by way of a photographed and uploaded receipt. Snap did not arise out of a Groupon vacuum: it comes from an acquisition of a Toronto, Canada-based startup called SnapSaves (originally called BuyTopia), which Chicago-based Groupon made in June of this year. It was a quiet move, picked up by local press but not many others, with the terms undisclosed.