Visual search: the perfect tool for the purchasing process

[fatimahislam]

Visual search is the perfect solution when you want to buy something you saw, but you don't know what words to use to search for it. Its proximity to reality makes it one of the most popular digital marketing tools today.

Let's see why.

What are visual searches?
Also known as visual search, this is a particularly effective search technique that combines AI and machine learning to decipher the content that makes up an image or photograph. All with the aim of providing several images with similar characteristics as answers.

You may now be used to performing traditional Google searches describing a product using keywords that sometimes yield irrelevant and disappointing results.

So what does visual search mean in real practice? Simple, you just need to take russia whatsapp lead a photo with your smartphone camera of any product, or you can also upload a generic image from social media to certain visual search engines (which we will mention later) to find exactly the same items with key data on where to find them.

Interesting, isn't it? Now let's learn how this process of searching for ideas begins.

User micromoments in the purchasing process
Sometimes we buy on impulse, other times we do our research and carefully choose the brand and product we want to buy or the place we want to visit.

Today's young shoppers demand a smarter shopping experience , where their journey from product discovery to checkout is as short as possible.

But how do users really get inspired in the purchasing process? According to Think With Google, 66% of people who use their smartphones to search for clothes consult Google to get ideas on what they can buy.

Clearly, these first online interactions that users carry out in their micro-moments allow us to understand how the digital environment influences their purchasing decisions, whether through the analysis of searches, visits and clicks.

Given this scenario, Javier Villagrán, strategy director at Fusiona, highlights that: “It is essential that brands take into account the first stage of the customer journey and focus their strategies on the different channels with useful, relevant and visually inspiring content.”

An inspiring example to consider is the case, highlighted by Google itself, of these retail brands that meet the needs of consumers when searching for ideas.

Benefits of visual search
Whether you interact as a consumer or apply it as a business, this modern search method delivers the following advantages:

Help users make better purchasing decisions.
It reduces the number of steps the user would have to take. That is, the user simply uploads the image and gets immediate results.
Provides multiple sales alternatives for the same product, so you can compare stores and prices.
Optimizes user experience by delivering accurate results.
Enables measurement with Google Analytics to see who clicked on product pages after search results.
Now that you know what visual searches are and how they work, let's see which platforms or tools deliver this visual search experience.

What are the most used platforms for visual search?
Technological evolution has led e-commerce leaders to invest in visual search to improve customer experience and increase sales. Among the most notable are:

Google Lens
This application developed by Google is ideal for starting your searches, as it recognizes more than a billion different items. From searching for similar or specific products, solving specific tasks to identifying the type of plant your neighbor has. If you haven't used it yet, we invite you to do so by downloading it here .

Pinterest Lens
You just have to download the app on your iOS or Android. Then, from its search engine, take or select a photo using the camera button. That's it! This tool will give you many ideas of products and related images that are within its ecosystem.