Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Google is expanding its grasp on retailers. In a blog post today, Google announced that it’s purchased Pointy, a Dublin-based startup that helps local retailers sell their products online. The deal is expected to close in the weeks to come.
Currently, Pointy allows sellers to either use an app or special bar code scanner to keep up-to-date inventory information on in-store products. That way, a shopper could more easily purchase a product online and pick it up in-store, rather than going with a larger retailer like Amazon or Walmart. Google Shopping already does inventory listings for nearby brick-and-mortar stores, so it makes sense it would want to improve how it gathers that data to ensure it’s as accurate and comprehensive as…