Just in time for the holidays, Google is updating the artificial intelligence engine behind its visual search tool Google Lens, aiming to help shoppers make more informed decisions at brick-and-mortar retailers.
According to Google, 72% of consumers use their smartphones in-store to find the right item at the right price. However, over half of these shoppers still leave the store empty-handed. The goal of the updates is to allow consumers to take a picture of a product and instantly access reviews, information on similar products at the same retailer, and price comparisons with other nearby merchants.
“We know consumers are really liking using Lens,” said Lilian Rincon, Vice President of Consumer Shopping Product at Google, in an interview with TechCrunch. “In fact, Lens is used for nearly 20 billion visual searches every month, and 20% of Lens searches are shopping-related. So, we’re excited to bring this to market. It gives some of that important information to help a shopper feel more confident.”
Significant Advancements
Google said the enhanced capability was made possible by significant advancements in its Gemini AI models’ image recognition technology, in conjunction with product listing data provided by its Shopping Graph platform.
The expanded Google Lens features will initially only work on toys, beauty products, and electronics in stores that share their inventory data with Google. Presently, the merchants who meet that criterion are national retailers like Target, Macy’s, and Ulta Beauty. In addition, shoppers who want to utilize the features will have to share their location data with Google.
Popular Additions
The tech giant also announced it will incorporate more shopping-related features for U.S. Google Maps users in the next few weeks. Consumers will be able to search for products like clothing, groceries, electronics, and home goods in Maps and find nearby merchants who sell them.
Once shoppers locate their items, they’ll have another payment option to choose from. Google said it is adding support for buy now, pay later service Afterpay in Google Pay, following its earlier integration of BNPL options through Affirm and Zip earlier this year.
BNPL services have soared in popularity in a few short years, becoming a favored addition to digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay. Google also shared that it was working to add Klarna as a payments option in the near future.