Irish startup helps local shops compete with online giants

Pointy's device plugs into barcode scanners at retail checkouts and captures product data when consumers shop.

LONDON: Pointy, a Dublin-based firm with Silicon Valley backers, is solving the problem of how to make it easier for people to find products they want close to home, as shopping online gets easier but locating what you want locally remains elusive. 

"Someone could just walk down the street and pick (an item) up, but that information is just frustratingly difficult to find," Pointy co-founder and chief executive Mark Cummins said.