Speaking about search, Google is definitely king, but when it comes to mobile apps search it isn’t quite so. Google’s spiders feed on links to evaluate a page’s relevance but mobile apps don’t possess the links that spiders hunger for. Chomp, a start-up, noticed the problem.
It approached app search in a social way, where search results are based on friends’ reviews and categorization. If you were an avid app store shopper, you would realize that the top 25 or 50 applications tend to be shown, while the rest of the apps are buried underneath, never to be found. Also, Apple’s keyword search algorithm isn’t as smart as its phone. At times, it returns with applications that you aren’t exactly looking for.
Here’s a glimpse of what Chomp can do:
If you type in “car,” the search engine includes an easy to navigate related tags to fine-tune your search. Say you’re looking for racing games; swipe the menu bar to the left, and you’ll notice a tag “racing game.”
Launched late last year, Chomp has so far gathered 400,000 active monthly users and 50 million recommendations. According to Founder Keighran, its success lies on its easy to share reviews to other social platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Even if you weren’t a Chomp user, you would be able to catch the reviews as long as someone in you network shares them. People who find the reviews useful would eventually sign up and the cycle goes on.
Chomp’s service has levied the pain when users are searching for mobile applications. I’m pretty sure Apple has kept an eye on its progress. An acquisition is highly possible.
