How Visual Search Can Enhance E-Commerce UX
Visual search is changing the way people shop online and it is fast becoming a must for all fashion e-commerce brands. Why? Because that’s what people want.
We live in a visual world. Websites with images and videos are simply more engaging than text-laden sites. Animoto found that 4 times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. Every day, 45 million visual search queries are performed on Amazon. And Pinterest is processing over 300 million visual searches per month.
So, what is visual search? As an e-commerce professional, I’m sure it is on your radar. But for those who have yet to discover it; visual search uses computer vision to recognize items in photos (or videos), and then search for exact matches or visually similar items in a database of images.
With advances in computing power and vast amounts of data available, computer vision has exploded in the last year. And the impact of visual search on e-commerce is only starting to be felt. According to research by L2, just 8% of specialty retail brands are using some form of visual search. But we believe that is about to change. And UX is the obvious place to start.
The user experience is one of the most important factors in driving sales through your website and creating loyal customers. Here are five ways visual search can enhance your UX:
1) Reduce Friction
Let’s say one of your customers spotted a blue dress on the first page of your subcategory Dresses and Rompers. They like the dress, but wonder if there are other dresses that look similar. How will they find out? If your site is like most, and you have a large selection, the customer will have to scroll through pages and pages of dresses (and rompers) to do so. That’s friction.
Our recently launched Search Similar tool, reduces that friction. We see a clear pain-point for customers. So much so, that in a case-study with our retail partner AKIRA, 45% of visitors to their website in December used the tool. It allows a user to see visually similar items in a retailer’s catalog by simply tapping an icon. And in less than a second, they can scan the entire selection of visually similar dresses. Pain reduced. Experience enhanced.
2) Encourage Serendipity
Everyone loves to be pleasantly surprised. And conversely, no one wants to feel like they missed out on something. Visual search takes care of both sides of that equation.
Using the blue dress example from above, visual search gives the user a new way to explore your catalog, perhaps finding a dress they may have missed through traditional browsing. A nice little surprise, coupled with a feeling of contentment. Now that’s a positive experience.
3) See Now, Buy Now
Visual search isn’t limited to product photos. It can be used for lifestyle photos too. I’m sure everyone has had the experience where you see a great jacket or pair of pants in a beautiful lifestyle photo, only to be frustrated because you couldn’t find it in the maze of product categories and photos. With visual search, we can spare current (and future) generations that pain.
They see it. They find it. Instantly. Score another victory for UX.
And besides, you spent good money creating that amazing visual content. You might as well maximize the return on your investment.
4) Get to the Point
Sometimes a customer knows exactly what they want. They saw that blue dress in a catalog and snapped a picture of it. Or maybe they grabbed a screenshot from one of their favorite bloggers? Or, just maybe, the person next to them on the train is wearing that blue dress and they want to know if you have it in stock. With visual search, they can.
Our Camera Search tool, allows the user to upload that photo, or import that screenshot, or snap a picture of that person next to them, in a not too creepy way, and search for that dress without having to describe it in text, or drill down through your product hierarchy. Photo in. Results out. User stimulated and happy.
5) Provide Social Proof
A study by Red Stag Fulfillment found that among all online shoppers, 84% referred to at least one social media outlet for recommendations beforehand. Social proof matters. People want validation for their purchases. Seeing other “real people” wearing or using a product makes them feel better about their decision.
Our soon to be launched tool called How-to-Wear-It, will bring social media to the user. So when they get to the product page they can see all of your fans wearing that item in user generated photos. Validation. Peace of mind. Another experience enhanced.
Summary
The UX is critical to online success and as an e-commerce professional you must keep up with the latest technologies and user behaviors. Visual search is not a fad. It is what customers want, and with recent advancements, it is only going to become more pervasive. Whether it is reducing friction, creating serendipity or giving the user peace of mind, visual search will soon be an expectation for customers. Game on.
To receive our upcoming white paper 18 ways to Enhance your UX in 2018, please click here.
