Amazon Enhances Shopping Experience with New Visual Search Features

Amazon is making it easier for customers to use images and videos in their mobile product searches. The e-tailer, which reports a 70% year-over-year increase in visual searches worldwide on its app, has added several new features to enhance the mobile visual search experience. These updates follow the July 2024 release of Rufus, its generative AI-based expert shopping assistant, in the U.S. version of its shopping app.

What’s New in Amazon’s Visual Search Suite?

• Visual Suggestions

  Amazon now generates descriptive image suggestions for products that match the search term typed by the shopper. The “More Like This” feature quickly displays similar items, allowing for smoother browsing.

• Integrated Product Videos

  Shoppers can now watch product videos directly within the search results, eliminating the need to click on individual products to see video content.

• Enhanced Amazon Lens Capabilities

  Amazon Lens, the company’s image-based search tool, has been upgraded to let users add text to their image searches. This addition makes search results even more tailored to customer needs.

• Focus on Specific Items

  Shoppers can now circle specific items within their uploaded images on Amazon Lens to refine their searches and pinpoint exactly what they want.

Why It Matters

Image-Based Search Enhancements

When customers search the Amazon app for an item with a visual description like “flannel shirt”, Amazon generates descriptive image suggestions as they type. Customers can select the image that best reflects their desired product and then browse Amazon’s selection of relevant items.

Amazon has also enhanced its Amazon Lens tool, allowing app users to search for products based on photos from their camera roll. Customers can add text to any image they upload to refine their search further. For example, if they upload a picture of a beige three-seat sofa, they can add text to specify a brand, color, material, or desired dimensions. Amazon’s search results will display items similar to the original image, with the parameters set via the added text.
Additional new image-based search features in the Amazon shopping app include:

• More Like This

  Customers can tap “More Like This” on any product image in the app’s search results to quickly find similar products.

• Circle to Search

  When customers spot an item they like in an image, they can isolate it using a new circle feature within Amazon Lens. This allows them to draw a circle around the item to search for it specifically. Customers can also adjust the size of the bounding boxes or move them to focus on different items.

Video-Based Search Enhancements

When searching in the app for home items, appliances, toys, or electronics, customers can now watch product videos within the search results without clicking on a product. This feature provides a more dynamic and engaging shopping experience.

So What Does This Entail?

Amazon’s enhancements follow the rollout earlier this year of its generative AI shopping tool, Rufus, to all U.S. shoppers. Rufus allows users to easily view previous orders, request product updates, and get detailed product insights, further cementing Amazon’s commitment to an improved discovery experience.

The company reported a remarkable 70% increase in visual search queries globally over the past year, signaling strong consumer interest in these new tools. Amazon says it will continue to refine its visual search capabilities based on user feedback, ensuring these features evolve with customer needs.

Visual Search: A Growing Trend in E-Commerce

Amazon’s innovation is part of a broader trend in the e-commerce industry as other companies race to develop image-based search tools:

• Google introduced its image search feature that makes all images on a page both searchable and shoppable.

• Etsy unveiled a visual image search tool that lets users upload or snap photos of the items they want.

• Google Product Studio and eBay launched tools to help sellers create engaging product visuals using AI.

The Bigger Picture

These visual search features do more than just help shoppers find products; they also empower sellers to present their products in the most appealing way possible. By integrating tools that enhance product imagery, companies like Amazon, Google, and eBay are pushing the boundaries of online shopping.

Key Takeaway

Amazon’s latest suite of visual search features is a step towards a more intuitive and engaging shopping experience, making it easier for consumers to find and purchase products that match their needs. As visual and AI-driven search tools become more prevalent, they reshape how we shop online, turning searches into a more interactive and satisfying experience.