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Visual Search

What Is Visual Search?

Visual search is a type of search engine that helps users to find a product through visual content like images and videos in a matter of seconds. It is based on computer vision and deep machine learning, a trained system of algorithms that can recognize different things from images.

Why Is Visual Search Important In eCommerce?

Visual search is used to expand the number of sales, increase the client base, and collect a pool of loyal customers. The most common way is to drop a photo or screenshot into the visual search app or website and look for the same item in the catalog. For example, your client liked the outfit from an Instagram post. They take a screenshot, go to your online store, upload a photo, and get the same clothes with prices. You can propose the most similar products in case of exactly the same goods are absent. Thus, you get a warm-up customer who readies to buy, and the client saves time and effort searching for the desired commodity.

eCommerce Visual Search Examples

Amazon, eBay, IKEA, Walmart, and other e-commerce leaders have figured out how to make their clients more satisfied and have been successfully providing users with a visual search tool for over 7 years. In America and Europe, the leaders of online retail followed this trend immediately (ASOS, Zara, Target, H&M, etc).

Visual Search Pros For eCommerce Companies

  • Source of quality traffic.
  • The ability to attract new customers.
  • Improving behavioral factors on the website/application.
  • Opportunity to gain an advantage over competitors.

Challenges Of Visual Search

  • Large monetary and time costs for implementation.
  • It is not possible to track the number of image search queries. As a result, it is impossible to calculate whether the use of this tool brings benefits.
  • It may take longer for clients to start using a visual search that is not typical for them.
  • Unlike text search, visual is difficult to monetize because the targeting mechanism could not focus on keywords so directly.

Artificial Intelligence For Visual Search

Here are some of the visual search AI engines:

  • Velebit AI
  • ViSenze’s
  • Delvify
  • Syte

Visual Search FAQ

How to optimize an eCommerce site for visual search engines?

  • Create a separate image sitemap.
  • Use custom photos.
  • Use multiple photos for commodities.
  • Optimize your site for text search.
  • Look for chatbots that offer visual search features.
  • Use Schema.org markup for photos and images.

How to do visual search image SEO?

  • Optimize image sizes.
  • Pay attention to quality and size.
  • Always use alternative text (Alt attribute).
  • Create Titles for images.

How visual search engines may impact eCommerce business performance?

According to BloomReach, visual search significantly influences the KPIs of eCommerce sites:

  • 48% more product views.
  • 75% more likely to return a user.
  • 51% increase in session time on the site.

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