Trend Snapshot: Visual search

Alex Brownsell

With advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, visual search has become a more mainstream proposition and has the potential to add enormous value in sectors such as home décor, fashion, FMCG and food and drink.

Trend overview

Where text led the way and voice has followed, a third, more visual form of search activity is reshaping how consumers browse the internet and shop online.

Visual search can be defined as anything using an image, rather than text, as the search input. At its most advanced, it involves the use of a camera device – and often a smartphone – as a tool for discovery. It is distinct from more conventional image search, where a text query prompts a search engine to suggest images.

The technology has been available for more than a decade, with QR...

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