Change the way you market with visual search

Instead of using text/keywords to search for something, would you rather use an image? The search engine will provide you with a library of hyperlinked images in return. You snap a picture with the mobile app eg. Pinterest, and they’ll offer you suggestions that most closely resemble what you’re searching for based on the pins that they have at hand.

Remember that 90% of the information received by our brain is visual. Sometimes words fail us when we are trying to accurately describe something we see. That is why visual search is so powerful, and why the world’s biggest enterprises are investing in it.

Visual search opens up to a whole new world  for online optimisation as it expands to a new lever of Search efficiency for consumers. It lets users to conduct a search using images rather than keywords, which may result exactly to what they are looking for.

Undoubtedly, visual search works best in visual mediums. If you are looking for the right style of home decor, the right outfit for a special event, an item you saw in a store, visual search is the most efficient tool you can use. When presented with an image, visual search identifies objects within it, and then searches for images related to those objects.

Here’s how Visual Search Works

Step 1:  Find the product you like

Step 2: Take a picture of the product in your phone

Step 3: Use the photo to search and match identical products  

What are the benefits of Visual Search

Easy and fast

Instead of browsing in different sections, just upload an image to find out its availability in few seconds. And not only availability bur similar images to what you are looking for.

Offer exactly what the user wants

Also called Spearfishing, is the practice of looking for one specific item out of hundreds or thousands of similar items.  Visual search is a particularly great tool for shoppers who are looking for a specific item. This is because it reduces the number of steps the user would otherwise have to go through, such as typing in a keyword or scrolling through results. Instead, the user just uploads the image and gets the desired product immediately.

Cross-Selling and Impulse Buying;

Visual Search can be a great tool for cross selling. For example, let’s say you’re unable to find the specific chair you saw in a restaurant, visual search is able to show similar or related items that might be interested you, leading to a purchase. It can also inspire you for another purchase. For example, the chair in the picture comes with a coffee table, if that is also in your interest you might be willing to buy more than the desired product you initially search for. By presenting the available inventory in an aesthetically pleasing and visual search-friendly way, the e-commerce site owner can boost sales.