SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 21, 2014) - POPSUGAR (www.POPSUGAR.com), the leading global media and technology company at the intersection of content and commerce, today announced the acquisition of PICT (www.PICT.com), a technology application and platform that turns photos into storefronts. PICT's technology, and its entire team, will be integrated into POPSUGAR and the company's ShopSense program (shopsense.shopstyle.com), an affiliate marketing service that is part of POPSUGAR's leading shopping search engine, ShopStyle.

"We are committed to investing in the best technology and talent, and this acquisition in PICT allows us to accomplish both," said Brian Sugar, POPSUGAR founder and CEO. "By seamlessly converting content into commerce, PICT will become a valuable asset within the ShopSense platform, which helps publishers, bloggers, and developers to monetize their fashion and lifestyle content."

With PICT, ShopSense's publishers will be able to earn revenue by creating "shoppable" images that contain product details and links to ShopStyle's retail partners and allow consumers to shop directly from the image. Similar to the act of tagging a friend in a Facebook photo, PICT's technology enables content creators to tag the products in their photos. Then, when consumers are browsing photos that are powered by PICT, they can view all relevant shopping information, including retailer, product name, price, and a "shop" button to purchase the product. 

PICT cofounder Brent Locks and his team will join POPSUGAR's headquarters in San Francisco.

"It is great to see how Brian and his team have grown POPSUGAR and ShopStyle over the last few years. There is an undeniable synergy between our two companies," stated Locks. "We're especially impressed with ShopStyle's shopping platform and look forward to building our interactive photo technology on top of it."

ABOUT POPSUGAR
 POPSUGAR Inc. is a global media and technology company at the intersection of content and commerce -- online, on mobile, and at your door. POPSUGAR.com is the go-to destination for the biggest moments, the hottest trends, and the best tips in entertainment, celebrity, fashion, beauty, fitness, food, and parenting. In addition to the best original lifestyle content, POPSUGAR's growing portfolio of commerce brands includes ShopStyle, the leading fashion search engine, and POPSUGAR Must Have, a monthly subscription box featuring editor-curated products. Targeting women 18-40, POPSUGAR draws over 20M users worldwide, 50M live and on-demand video views per month, and half a billion dollars in annual retail revenue. POPSUGAR Inc. is a privately held company funded by Sequoia Capital and Institutional Venture Partners with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and London. For more information, visit POPSUGAR.com and follow @POPSUGAR on Twitter.

ABOUT PICT
 PICT is a technology application and platform that turns photos into storefronts. PICT brings content and commerce together by enabling content creators to create interactive, shoppable photos. PICT is funded by Opus Capital, Lowercase Capital, Forerunner Ventures, and several prominent angel investors. The company is based in San Francisco, CA.