A picture is worth a thousand words—at least according to the old adage. But now, with visual artificial intelligence, that picture could be worth even more. The image recognition E-commerce trend is changing the game, and offering consumers and retailers never-seen-before benefits.
People’s thinking and spending habits are becoming more visually inclined in the age of technology. Large-scale E-commerce brands have tracked these changes in consumer behaviors and leaned on image recognition technology and the use of such apps.
Modern tech pioneer Google has launched its own image recognition search app, Google Lens. Bing, Amazon, and eBay have also made this feature available in their in-house apps to enhance and streamline their users’ retail experiences. These new tools have essentially made product images shoppable, forever changing the game for the digital retail world.
The technology’s widespread adoption shows that it has great promise in the E-commerce sector. Read further to explore why this technology is transforming the way we interact and shop with commercial brands online.
Understanding Image Recognition Technology
The technology is based on artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. Machine learning identifies, categorizes, and distinguishes unique images to recognize their contents.
AI technology is often paired with augmented reality (AR) software in searches. This enables the user to perform searches using real world images, like identifying specific products or searching for certain items online.
Bing and Google search engines allow you to search for anything you can imagine using image recognition tech. You only need to upload an image into the search field and related results will appear in seconds. In some cases, you can even take and search for photos on the spot.
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Google Lens takes this functionality even further. This application is designed specifically for searches, and you can take images on the spot or upload existing ones to view similar search results within seconds. This app works in real time, and can recognize everything from plants and animals to historical data, locations, products, and works of art.
Image Recognition E-commerce Value
The value of image recognition solutions for E-commerce lies in its ability to quickly and accurately identify products. E-commerce image recognition for product identification can be used the same way as a virtual survey, and as an online sales tool and internal process service.
Internally, this artificial intelligence and image recognition tech can assist businesses with product inspections, audits, and data collection. Companies can use the tech to photograph shipments or gondolas, and allow AI to identify and quantify their stock levels, labeling, packaging status and more.
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On the customer side, image recognition software makes online product searches easier and more accurate, which can directly boost the conversion rate of business’s sales. Many apps even allow retailers and customers to scan barcodes and enter URLs for sharper accuracy.
How It Benefits Consumers
Consumers who use image recognition to search for products can do so instantly and from any location. This gives them access to a quick, practical, and stress-free way to shop, while also providing a better shopping experience overall.
Let’s see the benefits of image recognition E-commerce technology for shoppers. A customer visits a boutique and compliments them on their appealing new shoes, or sees a new appliance that interests them in a TV series. If that customer wanted to find those products on the Internet too, they would need to gather as much detail as possible about the colors, styles, sizes, materials, and brands of the items they liked. This can be a tedious and tiring task when done manually.
However, thanks to visual basic AI, that consumer could perform a smart search by taking an image of the desired items and searching for similar results online. This provides an exceptional shopping experience, as they will be able to find exactly what they are looking for suffering no frustration or delays.
Benefits for E-commerce Retailers
Image recognition E-commerce technology can benefit not only your customers but your business directly. According to a Kissmetrics study, a whopping 93% of consumers consider visual aids to be decisive for their purchase decisions.
When you set up your website and online store, you can use the technology to direct potential customers straight to the products they wish to buy using those same visual artificial intelligence aids. Your customers will encounter fewer distractions along the way, which means that they will be far more likely to make a purchase on your site, and far less likely to support your industry competitors.
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Using AI for visual image recognition also allows your site to display similar products to the ones a customer is already interested in, starting with the most similar items. So, if a customer is searching for the perfect pair of black sneakers, you will be able to display images of all the black sneakers you have in stock to improve your chances of making a sale. This AI E-commerce visual search functionality enhances customers’ shopping experiences and reduces their need to use filters to find appropriate products.
The main benefits of visual basic AI image recognition technology for E-commerce businesses are:
- makes image recognition-based recommendations in E-commerce seamless and simple
- speeds up customers’ purchase decisions
- enhances online store’s shopping experience, and thus its reputation in the E-commerce marketplaces
- provides a more enjoyable and streamlined shopping process for customers
- boosts your conversion rates and your revenues as a result
- decreases your bounce rate, ensuring that you can maximize your earnings and remain competitive within your sector.
E-commerce Image Recognition Leading the Way
The technology is becoming widely adopted by tech giants because of its massive influence on the industry. This technology and visual basic AI has benefits for businesses and their customers alike, and is quickly cementing its space in the future of online searches. It’s also opening the door for improved mobile image recognition E-commerce functionality as more customers than ever are using their smartphones to make purchases.
Image recognition based on deep learning can provide your business with advantageous capabilities like customer analytics, social media commerce features, personalized searches and more. You can also use the data gathered from image recognition E-commerce technology to design effective marketing strategies and campaigns to improve your ROI.
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