
Visual Search is a term that not a lot of people would have heard of and there are plenty of misconceptions about it. Fear not! Delvify are here to clear up the myths that are commonly heard and we are going to thoroughly explain the reality of the possibilities that Visual Search can bring for your brand!
They may sound the same, but are actually radically different! With image search, images are returned as search results regardless of the initial search query input method, e.g. keyword-based search. The technology allows for reverse image search, metadata, keywords and pixel-to-pixel comparisons between images. Search engines like Google and Bing typically use image search to crawl the entire web to support online browsing for the masses.
Visual Search technology, on the other hand, uses AI to understand the content and context of images to return a list of related results. More advanced applications of Visual Search technology can understand the different elements in a photo and use image recognition to identify, classify and tag separate items in an image. This also enables visually similar recommendations alongside the one that the user is viewing, based on visually similar attributes such as color, shape, size, pattern, etc.
Keyword-based search is a blunt instrument for carving out a nuanced shopping journey. Words are limited in describing something visual. Retail is inherently a visual process and our intuition is wired to think about products visually. There are times when people do not know how to describe what they are looking for in words. eCommerce retailers in Fashion and Home Décor can use Visual Search technology to suggest thematically or stylistically related products to shoppers in a way that is impossible to do using a keyword-based query alone.
When we shop offline, we rarely start with just text. Moreover, we often want to find a new look, ensemble, or theme, rather than one single object. Visual Search helps tie these items together based on aesthetic links in a way that text has never been able to capture.
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Google, Amazon, Pinterest and Bing all developed their own Visual Search engines and have so far led the way in the use of Visual Search Technology.
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However, that’s only half of it. A whole host of retailers are now using Visual Search technology and examples include:
Visual Search is way more than simply a camera search. eCommerce retailers see huge benefits from displaying product recommendations for visually similar products. This helps customers make purchase decisions faster as they can review similar products in terms of shapes, colors, styles, fabrics, etc.
One of the hottest trends that are going to disrupt retail in 2022 is creating personalized experiences. Consumers attach high value to personalized online shopping experiences that help them quickly find the products they need. Conversely, poor product recommendations result in shoppers avoiding specific sites altogether. Furthermore, the latest data suggests that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that offers personalized content, leading to a 20% uplift in conversion. One way to achieve this is to use visually similar product recommendations that show consumers personalized ‘similar items’ and ‘complete the look’ suggestions based on visual deep tagging, user selections, and shopping intent cues.
By implementing Visual Search technology, you will create an enhanced customer experience. For example, making product discovery 5x faster, combined with more accurate product recommendations, will deliver a faster, more relevant shopping experience. The commercial benefits then materialize – higher average order values (“AOV”), increased conversion rates, and higher eCommerce sales revenues. Pinterest has also stated that visual discovery generates a more emotional connection with the consumer, resulting in less price sensitivity. Therefore, Visual Search is vital for Direct-to-Consumer brands who rely on quality customer experiences to help promote their value.
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