5 Best Implementations of

Visual Search

Table of contents

What is this about?

How to decide which retail technology to adopt

Why visual search is worth the investment

How visual search works to deliver what consumers want

What are the next steps?

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Camera Search

Recommendation Engines:Shop Similar and Shop the Look

AI Stylist and Related Looks

Visual Navigation

In-Store Smart Solutions

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What is this about?

Retail continues to undergo changes and play catch up to the massive consumer behavior shift that is happening. Simultaneously, new technologies and competition are coming up left and right, offering a mix of challenges and opportunities for retailers.

Visual search is one of the most powerful technologies that can be applied in so many ways, depending on consumer needs and business goals. This quick guide aims to help retailers, brands, and marketplaces visualize and decide if visual search is right for them. Through a series of visual search implementations, future visual AI adopters are going to see how the technology works to benefit both consumers and retailers in the short and long run.

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How to decide whichretail technology toadopt

Whether retailers choose to invest in retail technology or not, there is no denying that it is a crucial part of staying competitive in today’s landscape. The latest Gartner1 forecast revealed that retail technology spending worldwide will grow to almost $203.6 billion in 2019, with similar growth rates (3.6%) for the next two years.

In the end though, any decision made on a new digital solution boils down to the most important factor—what is in it for the consumers? In fact, Econsultancy2 in partnership with Adobe, found that 26% of retail leaders ranked “customer experience – making the experience on our properties easy/fun/valuable” first as a means of differentiation. So, what are consumers like today and what kind of customer experience do they expect from retailers?

Visual

With a breadth of content bombarding consumers every second, consumers’

attention spans are shrinking- down to about eight seconds according to Microsoft.

Eight seconds according to Microsoft.3 As a result, companies rely heavily on visual

cues. Social Media Examiner4 found that visual is the most used type of content by

companies. Consumers (59%) also think that visual information is more important

than textual information, as revealed by The Intent Lab.5

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How to decide which retail technology toadopt

SocialFollowing millennials, the next cohort of consumers—the Gen Z—further accelerates the current digital shopping behavior. In fact, 24% prefer to shop online and 13% via mobile, according to Accenture.7 Almost half (44%) cited social media as a popular source of product inspiration—particularly visual search networks such as YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. Moreover, 37% have increased social media usage for purchase decision-making last year.

Digital

Mobile phones, tablets, and even desktop are the primary reasons why consumers

consume hundreds of pieces of content on a daily basis. Not only that, these devices

also caused the meteoric rise of online shopping. Forrester6 said that 50% of US retail

sales are now digitally impacted and is poised to grow to 53% by 2023. From product

search, price comparison, all the way to purchase and delivery, consumers are

enjoying the convenience digital commerce provides.

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Why visual search is worth theinvestment

Considering the different facets of consumers’ shopping behavior today, one technology that ticks off everything on the list is visual search. Using visuals such as a real-world photo captured using a mobile phone, a screenshot of a social media influencer, and even icon-based filters for online websites, retailers immediately and intuitively help consumers find and buy the products they are looking for, and ultimately deliver a better, more seamless shopping experience.

Visual search is a growing market. The Image Recognition Market in 2021 is expected to be almost $39 billion as estimated by Deloitte.8 Early adopter brands, Gartner9 analyzed, can also expect a 30% increase in digital commerce revenue by 2021.

Beyond the growth in industry value, consumers are exactly the ones who want visual search. Accenture10 said that 37% of consumers are already using it. In fact, among 12 million global respondents, Business Insider Intelligence found that 39% use visual search for retail followed by 31% who use it for home décor. And it is critical for retailers to understand that visual search is an urgent priority, because 63% of consumers “would consider shifting at least half their purchases to retailers offering it.”

“Visual search is perfect for shoppers who face two common dilemmas: “I don’t know what I want, but I’ll know it when I see it” and “I know what I want, but I don’t know what it’s called.” – Amazon

1. Camera SearchAllow consumers to get visually similar products available in stock the moment they use their camera app or upload a photo to the mobile app or website. Syte breaks down the image into its minute details such as fabric, style, color, and pattern. According to McKinsey & Company,11 an e-commerce search pain point “is at least partly caused by an inability to identify and find the product. Word-based searches do not lead to the right place, and, often, consumers don’t know the right terminology for the products they search.”

For consumers, visual search is a convenient way to shop because they no longer have to think of the right keywords to search for the visual that inspired them. Delivering immediate results, retailers get to delight consumers and enhance their shopping experience.

The exciting thing about visual search is, it can be applied in a variety of ways. Retailers can tailor the technology depending on the kind of customer experience specific consumers expect. Based on industry and client experience, Syte gathered the top five best implementations of visual search to help retailers visualize how the technology works and to help decide on which to prioritize when the time to implement comes.

How visual searchworks to deliver whatconsumers want

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How visual searchworks to deliver what consumers want

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2. Recommendation Engines: Shop Similar and Shop the LookProvide next level convenience to consumers by enabling them to shop all products in an image without navigating through the mobile app or website. PricewaterhouseCoopers12 revealed that 43% of consumers would pay more for greater convenience.

With just a photo, they get to shop visually similar products for all items in the photo. For retailers, this increases product exposure and basket size. If, for instance, consumers are still in the exploring mood, Syte also enables retailers to automatically populate recommendation carousels to show similar options from inventory, on a product detail page (PDP) or product listing page (PLP).

3. AI Stylist and Related LooksTap into the social nature of consumers. McKinsey & Company,13 together with the Business of Fashion, stated that “consumers turn to a much wider range of inspirations, from social media, celebrities, and influencers to spotting an attractive look on the street in order to inform their purchase decisions.”

With visual search, Syte connects relevant user-generated content (UGC) from social media platforms to catalog products. Pairing social media content from influencers and celebrities with the PDP image contextualizes the items and inspires shoppers to discover more products and end up with larger average order value.

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How visual searchworks to deliver what consumers want

4. Visual navigationMake filtering products more intuitive. A study conducted by The Intent Lab,14 a research partnership between Performics and Northwestern University, revealed that “when shopping online for clothing or furniture, more than 85% of respondents respectively put more importance on visual information than text information.”

With visual search navigation, consumers navigate the product results on the mobile app or website using animated icons, not textual filters. Consumers get to narrow down their search with ease, while retailers make the process of product search to purchase fast and easy.

5. In-Store Smart SolutionsDeliver omnichannel experience by providing in-store visual search technologies such as In-Store Smart Mirror and In-Store Stylist on a tablet so consumers synchronize their product search online and offline. Forrester found that 79% of consumers believe, “it is important for a retailer to offer visibility into items that are available in the store.”

With in-store smart solutions, shoppers not only get inventory visibility, but they can also browse social media images and similar items within the brick and mortar store, enhancing customer experience whichever channel consumers choose to engage with retailers.

Visual search is without a doubt a technology that not only consumers want, but also need. It has multiple potential use cases that even go beyond Camera Search, Recommendation Engines, AI Stylist, Visual Navigation, and In-Store Smart Solutions. For retailers focused on customer experience, enabling consumers to benefit from visual search is the ideal next step. Google, Microsoft, Pinterest, Amazon and more global companies are continuously improving their visual search capabilities, so it is safe to assume the technology does offer value for both consumers and retailers. With visual search that has been extensively benchmarked to have accurate, reliable and scalable results, the value of this technology can not wait.

To help brands, retailers, and marketplaces decide, check out Syte’s Definitive Guide to Visual Search for a more comprehensive discussion of the technology, other use cases, critical features, essential test requirements, and more.

What are the next steps?

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“In a channel-agnostic world, winning online is not just about getting eCommerce right—it is about building a cohesive, consistent, and compelling experience across all touch points in the customer journey, both online and offline.” – Deloitte

Sources

1https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2018-10-29-gartner-says-retailers-are-

investing-heavily-in-digital-capabilities-to-meet-customer-expectations2https://www.adobe.com/content/dam/acom/au/landing/dt18-retail/Econsultancy-2018-Digital-

Trends-Retail.pdf3https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/opinion/the-eight-second-attention-span.html?mcubz=14https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/

SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2016.pdf5https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/news/2019/intent-lab-research-visual-search.html6https://www.forrester.com/report/

Forrester+Analytics+DigitalInfluenced+Retail+Sales+Forecast+2018+To+ 2023+US/-/E-RES1454557https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-44/Accenture-Retail-Customer-Journey-Research-

2017-Infographic.pdf8https://www2.deloitte.com/de/de/pages/deloitte-analytics/articles/image-recognition.html9https://www.gartner.com/doc/3823237/predicts--brand-relevance-automation10https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-85/Accenture-Report-The-Changing-Consumer-And-

The-New-Definition-of-Retail.pdf11https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/now-or-never-immediacy-and-customer-

experience-in-fashion-retail12https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/library/consumer-intelligence-series/future-of-

customer-experience.html13https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Retail/Our%20Insights/The%20State%20

of%20F ashion%202019%20A%20year%20of%20awakening/The-State-of-Fashion-2019-final.ashx14https://www.medill.northwestern.edu/news/2019/intent-lab-research-visual-search.html

About Syte

Syte is a visual AI technology provider that improves retailers’ site navigation, product discovery, and user experience by powering solutions that engage and convert shoppers. With Syte, retailers can leverage shoppers’ inspiration and existing product interest to ensure they present the right products at the right time.

Partnerships with technology innovators such as Microsoft, SAP, Naver, and Oracle have established Syte as a leader in the market. Powering the visual search within Samsung and other leading phone manufacturers allows Syte to increase the reach of their retail clients. Brands currently using Syte’s technology include Farfetch, Marks & Spencer, and boohoo.

Syte has experienced rapid growth since its founding in 2015 and product launch in late 2017. They are represented by their headquarters in Tel Aviv as well as offices in London and Geneva. The company has raised $10 million to date from investors including NHN Ventures, Magma, Naver Corporation, Line Corporation, Reimage Ventures, North Base Media, and KDC Ventures.

To learn more, visit:

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