Use photos to search on eBay

EBay is all set to out to compete with Pinterest, Google and Amazon in a brand new way. EBay is launching a new image search capabilities. Its top competitors already have this feature rolled out and eBay is finally catching up. This feature will use photos to connect with online shoppers to search for their products of interest.

Two parts

There are two parts to the visual search that eBay is implementing. One is Image Search and the other is Find It on eBay. With Image Search, the users can upload a photo to search for they want. They can either click a picture or simply select one from their camera roll. Find It on eBay is another feature, where users can use it on the eBay mobile app or website. It allows users to share and search through images you find on the web, including the ones on social media. Users can then simply ‘share’ that image into eBay to find what they’re looking for.

AI for shopping

EBay says that it has used artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to develop these two new offerings. This means that more the number of shoppers using image search, the better an improvement in the results be. Currently, eBay says there are over 1.1 billion items that are available for shoppers to shop!

“By applying machine learning technology, eBay can deliver a fast and reliable shopping experience baked by one of the world’s largest commerce data sets,” said the VP of eBay’s Buyer Experience in a statement during the launch.

Image Search and Find It on eBay will be rolling out this fall. Right at the launch, Image Search will be supported by both Android and iOS, while Find It on eBay will first roll out on Android.