Tagxy has launched its augmented reality app

Tagxy allows users to create digital content in real time in Augmented Reality. They can easily tag places and objects with a symbol that appears on the smartphone screen each time another Tagxy user keeps his camera on the object. “That secret little restaurant around the corner, your favorite place with the best view, a sight not to be missed, the best address for shopping or simply the places that you want to find yourself in a strange city – thanks to augmented reality your tips are directly visible on the objects and places”, explains Tagxy CEO Jonas Schwarz. In addition the app provides the users with an overview of tagged places on a map. And social networking functions such like, share, comment and private messaging allow bi- and multi-directional communication. The app is available for iOS and Android.

We have asked Tagxy CEO Jonas Schwarz about the app, challenges in the development process and the business model.

What makes your app unique?
Our augmented reality content is all social content and is available wherever you are. Also, it is more personal through real life user content, which is mixed with attractive business content. A real time, on device tagging allows the users to tag objects and locations with their personal content. Users are able to like, comment and share tags to other Social Networks like Facebook and Twitter. It is augmented reality for everyone, combined with Social Network functionalities.

How long did it take to develop the app?
It took us over a year of coding and another year of concept work to develop the app. Originally, we started Tagxy as an anti littering project and only later turned it into an augmented reality app with Social Network character. Littering is now no longer part of the story. Probably a classic move for a startup.

What was the biggest challenge in the development process and how did you cope with this challenge?
The biggest challenge was to find co-founders with the right skills to work with augmented reality. There aren’t a lot of people who are able to build such a complex system and run it all by themselves. And after all, we had to match on a personal level, as we do now. The next challenge was to concept and realize a real time „on device tagging“ for augmented reality, as it has never been realized before.

Is there a business model for the app or is the app a kind of marketing tool for the B2B services of Tagxy?
The B2B services of Tagxy is included in the Tagxy app. Business customers are able to tag objects and locations, with our content management system (CMS) for the augmented reality. This option offers new possibilities for business customers to build and share campaigns with a high user engagement, gamification elements like content scavenger hunts and storytelling at the POS, the “point of sales”. The CMS also includes data about the users and their interactions. As the community grows, we are also ready for ad servers and affiliate marketing options.

What is the next important milestone you want to achieve?
The next milestone would be to reach a critical mass of users and investors to grow and develop the product.