Uber Co-Founder Is Launching a Powerful Shopping App That Will Take on Amazon and eBay

Bloomberg reports:

[Garrett] Camp is ready to introduce what he calls his next big idea: Operator, a company that aims to synthesize navigation of the digital and physical worlds. Its app uses a combination of algorithms and human assistants to connect consumers with retail workers who can help them shop. For example, if a ­potential customer wants to replace a ­particular pair of shoes, she can snap a photo of the old ones and upload it to the app, which routes the request to a relevant store that’s also using the app. There, a salesperson can respond with info, prices, or photos of merchandise. The customer can then buy her replacement shoes through the app and arrange delivery, Camp says. “Our goal is to help people find the right product within the right store and to do it interactively,” he says. “It’s like Siri, but with a person on the other end.”

 The service will go live in New York and San Francisco later this spring.