Another acquisition for Groupon, and a sign of how the e-commerce company is getting more focused on mobile as a route to future growth.
It has picked up Kima Labs, which makes mobile barcode reading app Barcode Hero and mobile payment app TapBuy. The terms of the deal were not disclosed; we’re trying to find out.
The news comes just hours after news broke that Groupon had bought another mobile startup, Hyperpublic, which makes geolocation technology.
As a result of the acquisition, Barcode Hero — according to its site, which confirms that Groupon has purchased Kima Labs — will be closing down its service effective February 20, Monday. That means its iPhone app will no longer be available to download after that date. Those who already use the app will have until March 16 to download their data.
As for TapBuy, it’s not clear yet what will happen with the company’s service: the site still does not make any mention of the acquisition, so presumably users of its location-based deals will be able to continue using the service. Like Groupon, TapBuy offers daily deals, in its case for some 100 brands. It processes transactions using credit card information provided by users. It also provides some intelligence behind it by grouping purchases together and adding coupons to purchases.
