The adoption of visual search has risen exponentially in recent years. As a result, brands need to optimise their strategies to accommodate their customers’ demands for this technology.

In this article, we explore the rise of visual search, what it means for your brand and how Rooster Marketing can maximise your success.

 

What is it?

Visual search is defined as a search beginning with a photo, screenshot or other image, instead of a traditionally text-based query. The search results then reply with an image, displaying similar content to the original picture.

 

Visual search vs. image search

This concept is not to be confused with an image search!

Image search is a text-based query being answered with an image and has been around since the conception of Google Images in July 2001; famously created after a viral demand for images of Jennifer Lopez wearing a jungle print dress, designed by Donatella Versace, to the Grammy Awards.

Visual search supports questions that are hard to articulate. Finding a specific type of dress for a wedding without knowing the style, or looking for a pair of shoes worn by your favourite celebrity and not knowing the brand are examples of the perfect queries for visual search.

 

How it works

So, how does it actually work?

Using AI technology, image metadata, like colours and shapes, can be ‘seen’ by your computer, which can then return similar images to you.

Machine learning also develops this technology over time, continually updating its algorithms to recognise more and more images and deliver increasingly accurate results.

 

Why is it important?

According to Shopify, over 85% of online customers place more importance on visual information than textual information when looking to purchase items such as clothing or furniture.

The visual quality of modern queries is truly a powerful market for brands to tap into. Optimising your content for visual-based search results is fast becoming one of the keys to marketing success and will truly distinguish your brand from its competitors.

 

Online and offline integration

Aligned with the complexities of the customer journey, inspiration can strike a customer anywhere, at any time, whether this be on social media, on their morning commute, or while on a night out. Whenever this inspiration arises, a customer can simply take a picture and upload it to their favourite brand’s website and find the same, if not similar, item to purchase there and then.

This online and offline integration caters to the consumer demand for multi-channel shopping experiences. The modern consumer wants to travel through different platforms seamlessly, saving time along the way through more targeted searches.

All of this acts to benefit your brand. The seamless nature of visual search provides a shorter path from search to conversion, providing less friction along the customer journey and enabling your audience to find exactly what they’re looking for, faster.

According to Shopify, studies show visual searches lead to checkout twice as quickly as text-based searches, especially since they don’t need to waste time trying to find the exact keyword to describe what they’re looking for or scouring multiple websites for their perfect product match.

 

Google’s influence

According to Google, their Lens feature boasts almost 20 billion visual searches every month, with 20% of searches being shopping-related. The demand for brands to implement the infrastructure for visual search couldn’t be clearer or more urgent.

Shoppers are truly relying on this technology, discovering everything from outfit inspo, to how to decorate their bedrooms, and even identifying an item in the background of a video they’ve seen.

Information has never been so readily available and accessible for the modern consumer.

Google also enables the combination of voice and visual search to coexist, bringing a new level of natural intuitiveness to searching for information.

Other platforms have also implemented similar features, including Amazon, Pinterest and ASOS, to name just a few. Visual search is truly changing the way in which customers discover products and make purchasing decisions.

 

What does this mean for your brand?

Data from Shopify found that 61% of shoppers say that visual search enhanced their in-store experience, so don’t miss out on this opportunity for growth.

There are numerous benefits to implementing visual search optimisation into your content marketing strategy. As we’ve mentioned above, many major brands that host visual platforms are optimising their offering to cater to customer demands for visual search. Don’t get left behind.

Implementing visual search into your content marketing strategy will mean that your offering as a brand will be elevated, positioning you as an industry leader. It is also one of the easiest and most effective methods for tracking traffic and measuring your campaign’s success, in particular, which products and product categories consistently receive and convert visual searches.

 

Search made easy with Rooster Marketing

Our full-service marketing agency and team of dedicated experts are committed to elevating your brand and ensuring it stays ahead of the game.

Get in touch with us today to discover more about how we can better your business and enhance your marketing success.