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Mobile Shopping App Helps With 'The Hunt' Down For Fashion

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Plenty of people, while browsing social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, will spot someone wearing an outfit they may like--but have no way of finding out where they can find it for themselves.

A website and mobile application called The Hunt is helping these fashionistas by changing the way the online community shops.

At two years old, The Hunt continues to gain praise and popularity by allowing the online community to assist each other in the search for their desired items.

"The basic concept is that, when you are browsing Instagram, or Tumblr, or Pinterest, or Facebook, and all the time, we see photos of other people whose outfits you might want to wear," said CEO Tim Weingarten.

The way it works is fairly simple.

If you have a picture of a particular item, with no clue where to shop for it, you can upload the picture to The Hunt. The next step involves fellow online shoppers and enthusiasts with similar interests, some of whom may have more knowledge of the item, who help you solve your search, or your "hunt", by posting links to places where your item can be found.

The folks who take part in assisting in your search may have knowledge of the item, and wish to help out a fellow shopper, or they may just simply enjoy the challenge.

"The most exciting thing for me is the overall challenge," said user Allie Tuazon. "It's pretty much like a game."

With so many people "hunting" at any given moment, it is also an effective way of meeting and cooperating with people who have similar interests.

"People are very geographically dispersed, and they are able to make these connections with someone that they might not have otherwise known," said Sara Brooks. "We see that people aren't necessarily shopping with their friends; they are shopping with their best friends, and keeping this as a secret."

Additionally, The Hunt allows the user to control how much he or she wishes to spend. Parents are using the app as a tool to save time while going about their shopping.

"I told them that my budget was under a hundred dollars," said mother Rachel Talbott. "So the community went to work, and found them for me for all different prices. You see things all the time on social platforms, where you're like 'where are these shoes from,' and you can put it on The Hunt and the community helps find it for you."

For more information about how you can start using The Hunt, visit their website or download the iPhone app for free.

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