Dive Brief:

• Target Corp. is testing out a showrooming app for iOS called “In a Snap” during the busy back-to-school retail season. 

• In a Snap is an image recognition app aimed at combating showrooming in general and Amazon’s Firefly app in particular (as well as other showrooming apps, like Pounce). The app gives information and buy options on items featured in magazine ads and the company's circulars and catalogs.

• The app is the latest among Target’s mobile initiatives, which also include apps Cartwheel and Awesome Shop and wi-fi in stores, which are aimed at shoppers increasingly using mobile to shop around.

Dive Insight:

Target’s In a Snap app is a continuation of its efforts to leverage mobile to create a new, well-rounded customer experience.

But in a broader sense, Target’s developing mobile ecosystem is a demonstration of how Amazon could be taken on its own turf. After all, the retailer’s Fire phone is really mostly a well coordinated package of apps, something that may be in reach of other companies as they focus more on mobile tech.