Gone are the days when text-based queries were the standard way to search for products online. Visual search in e-commerce is already prevalent, and it has revolutionized how customers find items they want to purchase.
Visual search engines enable users to upload an image of a product they like, allowing them to discover relevant items or additional information. As this method of product discovery is much easier than trying to describe a product with words, visual search has gained immense momentum. It is already the preferred way of searching online for younger consumers, and certainly for both Millennials and Gen Z.
With the exponential growth of visual search popularity, many search engines have integrated these capabilities, followed by a wide range of other digital businesses. In 2024, the global visual search market size was valued at $41.72 billion and is expected to reach $151.60 billion by 2032.
The technology holds immense potential for boosting the bottom line of ecommerce businesses. Consumers use it regularly when looking to buy clothes, furniture, cars, groceries, holiday trips, electronics, and household items, among others. They prefer visual search because it offers improved experience and easier product discovery, which naturally translates into higher conversion rates for companies.
So how can you integrate visual search in your ecommerce platform and maximize its benefits for your business?
In the guide below, we have outlined the most important strategies and tools that you need to enhance your ecommerce success with visual search capabilities.
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Visual Search Technology
Visual search engines integrated in search platforms, such as Google Images, are able to provide adequate search results by using image metadata. There are also reverse image search engines like TinEye, which enable people to look for similar images or find the source of an image they have.
The practical applications of visual search are diverse. It can be used to identify many different types of products like clothing and home decor, as well as plants, animals, and other objects.
As the visual search results yield relevant images, data and context, they help customers find what they’re looking for with ease. Besides locating a desired item online, visual search can also provide additional tools like same object recognition, which allows the identifying of an object in different images.
Visual Search Examples
Many applications and platforms have already integrated visual search to provide users with an innovative and easy way to look for products and information.
Google Lens
Google has developed the popular visual search tool Google Lens. When users upload a visual, they can get information and similar products, as well as identification of objects within the image.
People can also just point their phone camera at an item to get reviews about the product, as well as purchase options. Obviously, this is a great tool for ecommerce, but also has numerous applications in tourism, plant and animal identification, and translation from foreign languages.
Pinterest Lens
The Pinterest Lens is another example of a visual search tool integrated into a platform. It allows users to find similar products and creative ideas. The particular focus of Pinterest Lens is helping people explore fashion trends, clothing and jewelry, furniture and home decor, makeup, and more. Visual suggestions like those provided by Pinterest Lens are quite handy in finding relevant ideas and inspiration.
Bing Visual Search
Microsoft has developed Bing Visual Search and has integrated it in its search engine. It functions similarly to Google Lens, allowing people to upload an image instead of writing a text search query.
The Benefits of Visual Search in E-commerce
The benefits of visual search in e-commerce are numerous — and online shoppers across the globe are already benefiting from them to find products and information about items, while businesses see increases in conversion rates and revenue.
Improved Customer Experience
People don’t need to come up with lengthy descriptions of a product that the traditional text-based search requires. Instead, they can just take a snapshot of the desired item and upload it in the search.
Visual search transcends language barrier issues when shopping abroad or from foreign platforms. It also enhances mobile shopping experiences with immediate access to image queries.
In the long run, this makes customers more engaged with a shopping platform — and more likely to return to it. And let’s not forget that visual search adoption is on the rise globally.
Easier Product Discovery
Users can find the exact item they are looking for with visual search results — whether it’s a snapshot they take in real time, an ad, or a social media post. They also get visual suggestions for relevant and complementing products. This is beneficial for customers, but is also a great opportunity for businesses to increase their product discoverability.
Increased Conversions and Revenue
When people find the products they’re looking for with ease, they are more likely to make purchases. With visual queries they can get an exact match of their search, as well as more context and relevant information. Consumers can thus order the right products that they want, which reduces returns and shipping expenses.
Business Advantage
For businesses in particular, integrating visual search also brings a clear competitive advantage. By offering an innovative search experience, your ecommerce business can stay ahead of the competition and cater to customers’ evolving needs.
Implementing Visual Search in Your Ecommerce Platform
Providing visual search to your customers straight in your platform is definitely a winning move. Features like image upload and search enhance the search experience — driving both user engagement and sales.
To offer visual search, you have to integrate visual search capabilities in your ecommerce website or app. Creating your own visual search engine is quite a feat and is usually the path that large companies take since it requires substantial teams, time, and resources.
Luckily, tools like Imagga’s visual search API are there to offer a powerful and easy solution for ecommerce businesses of all sizes. Integrating the API in your platform is a straightforward process with detailed documentation and guidance.
Imagga’s Visual Search API boasts high accuracy rates and has a scalable infrastructure, which means it can handle large amounts of requests and search pools with precision. In addition, our expert team can customize the tool for your particular needs.
Visual Search and Social Media
The intersection of visual search and social media is definitely a field worth exploring. As social media platforms are constantly expanding their image search options, the opportunities for e-commerce expansion they’re offering are growing. This is especially important given the fact that people increasingly use their phones for online shopping, and visual search is especially user-friendly on mobile devices.
In particular, social media shopping features hold great potential for ecommerce. Many users find products they like on social media. Having the option to directly make a purchase from a post or an ad within the platform is thus an easy way to increase conversions. A number of social media giants have already created such features, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and you can integrate them with your ecommerce platform.
Another way to leverage social media for your ecommerce is optimizing your content for visual search on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. This will allow the visual search tools to find and index your content, increasing the chances of your products being discovered by customers. Don’t forget to include relevant keywords and hashtags too.
Last but not least, keep in mind that brand consistency on your website and social media channels is important. Using coherent images and text across platforms creates a sense of uniformity, which strengthens your brand identity in the eyes of customers.
The Future of Visual Search Technology
Visual search has already changed our interactions with the digital and physical world. As its popularity and capabilities grow, it is likely to become the norm in online product searching.
Technological advancements — particularly in AI and machine learning — are poised to make visual search better, faster, and more integrated in our digital experiences.
Augmented reality (AR), in particular, holds great potential for complementing and improving visual search. It can provide interactive experiences like virtual try-on for products and instant information about items.
Visual search technology keeps evolving and surprising both businesses and consumers. From smart devices to the Internet of Things, the technological novelties that are yet to come will offer unexpected new tools for ecommerce success and for engaging customer experiences.
Boost Your Ecommerce Platform with the Power of Visual Search
Imagga boasts cutting-edge visual search technology that you can embed straight into your ecommerce platform. Our AI-powered visual search tools allow you to offer seamless image search and visual recommendations to your customers with high accuracy and scalability.
Get in touch to learn more about integrating visual search in your ecommerce with our cloud image recognition API or on-premise solution.