In 2018, Google announced that Google Lens (an app that lets users search for objects directly from their camera) would now be available through Google Image Search – and this is part of an imminent wave of transformation in search patterns. We explore why 2019 will be the year of visual search, and share three ways marketers can gain from this trend.
The verdict is clear — visual search isn’t an experiment anymore. From $5.81 billion in 2014, the visual search market in the US is now worth a staggering $80 billion, indicating the rapid rise of this popular technology. Early users were slightly skeptical about the true capability of visual search engines — Would the matches be accurate? Can a machine pick up on the many nuances of human shopping habits?
Fast forward to today, and we find that visual search technology has become extremely sophisticated, increasingly powered by some form of AI. Recent advancements in image recognition allow search engines to process massive volumes of images at once, making it easier for customers to look up an image and find the right product in minutes. And surprisingly, this brings several benefits for marketers as well.
Also read: Google Talks Shop at Shoptalk – Introduces Image Shopping
Why Visual Search Will Be so Important in 2019
Did you know that 19 percent of all queries on Google return images as a search result? This means that Google Image search contributes to nearly a fifth of the total query volumes, constantly feeding in new data on what consumers want. The AI- and Machine Learning-enabled engine is able to scan these images, becoming more and more accurate with each new dataset.
It’s easy to see why users prefer to search via images — people are naturally inclined to image-based search, as 90 percent of the information received by the human brain is visual. But teaching a machine to understand an image (spot patterns, identify shapes, and instantly contextualize) instead of only seeing dots and pixels, has been a challenge. Which is why early attempts at visual search were mostly underwhelming, and it took nearly a decade for the trend to take off.
It’s only in the last two years that global giants such as Google and Pinterest have made astounding strides in visual search technology. In September of last year, Google announced that images would be central to search experiences in 2019, with visual previews of videos and Lens now available via Google Image search. This is only the tip of the iceberg; the intersection of our all-too-human affinity for visual stimuli and the latest innovation in image recognition means that we are on the cusp of images becoming the dominant search form in 2019.
Also read: Why Marketers Must Build a Pinterest-Based Strategy
3 Ways to Use Visual Search as a Marketing Tactic
The advantage of searching for an image, as a customer, is obvious – even without information on brand names, price or make, one can search for an object and find out where to buy it. For brands and marketing teams, the response has been largely reactive – how do you adapt to this new form of browsing? How do you quickly integrate visual search algorithms into the existing MarTech stack, without denting your bottom line?
Beyond these questions, it is possible to leverage the visual search trend to push engagement and conversion. In fact, with customers eager to go visual and only a handful of pioneers really ready for the change, early adopters will gain a definite advantage. Here are three ways to use visual search as a marketing tactic in 2019:
#1 Social Media Images Can Offer a Wealth of Hidden Insights
Social media listening isn’t new, but generally, words are the only elements you consider when trying to understand customer sentiment and brand perception. In reality, a brand’s products may appear on social media, without being explicitly mentioned via text – for example, the Starbucks’ logo appearing alongside dogs after their recent Puppucino campaign.
Image recognition technology lets you spot these surprising product placements and hidden trends, helping to identify an innovative strategy or an influencer who would be otherwise overlooked. The biggest USP of visual search in this regard, is that it can contextualize a brand, allowing you to spot recurring associations (even without textual mentions) and uncover new marketing opportunities. All of this is encapsulated in the emerging trend of “visual listening” where traditional social media listening principles are combined with advanced image analytics and visual search algorithms to give you insights into product feedback, customer sentiment, market threat, and user-generated content.
Also read: Exclusive Insights from SVP Marketing at GumGum, a Unique Visual Listening Platform
#2 Visual Search Can Push Products Up on Search Results
In the early days of visual search, marketers were limited to a few common best practices – make file names descriptive, intelligently choose your alt text, and keep an eye on image titles. Today, with so much of traffic being routed through Google Image search (and most of it positioned in the middle-of-funnel), it is a great opportunity for marketers to visually represent their brand and push sales. This means visual optimization cannot be an afterthought, relegated to a corner of your primary page optimization checklist, but an individualized strategy.
Make use of the badges feature implemented in Google Image search in 2017, where products, recipes, and videos are ‘labeled’ in visual search. Also, ensure that the meta data on product descriptions are extremely detailed: from just name, price and availability, move to ratings, nested reviews, and timebound pricing – the more detailed, the better, in terms of SEO. This will help your products appear in Similar Items and Related Items results, garnering more views. Remember, it can take up to a week for the changes to be implemented. Run a “yourdomain.com” search across devices and platforms to check if images are returned without any issues/errors.
#3 Conversion is Made Simpler and More Effective
A key advantage of using visual search over keywords, is that users can quickly take a picture of the expected product and find the right item, instead of sifting through hundreds of near-matches. By incorporating visual search into a mobile shopping app, for example, you can let users search for clothes based on collar style, fit, fabric, and so on, instead of a more tedious keyword-based process. This makes it much easier to go from the top-of-the-funnel interested stage, to purchase.
What’s more, visual search also simplifies the tracking process – you can easily see which styles/product categories are generating the most leads on Google Lens and Pinterest Lens, as well as which images are leading to a direct purchase. Marketing efforts in these areas can be reinforced to drive better results.
Also read: Top 4 Emerging Channels to Leverage in Your Marketing Strategy in 2019
In Conclusion
As visual search takes over and more customers use Google Image search to find products, marketers are poised to profit from this technology significantly. By 2021, brands that redesign their website in-line with voice and visual search will witness a 30 percent jump in digital commerce revenues. To win in this rapidly evolving landscape, you need to harness the power of visual with a proactive approach and oodles of creativity.
How do you plan on implementing visual search in 2019? Tell us on Twitter or LinkedIn or Facebook; we’re always listening!