Marks & Spencer introduces visual search for mobile

Marks & Spencer has introduced a new AI-powered ‘Style Finder’ tool to its website which allows shoppers to search for items in menswear and womenswear ranges using an image.

Marks & Spencer teamed up with visual AI startup Syte to create the new feature which allows shoppers to upload an existing photo or take a new one of any outfit to explore a range of similar-looking products on the Marks & Spencer website. The tool uses AI technology to find results with the closest match, which customers can then narrow down with additional filters such as size, price and colour.

"We know our customers are busier than ever and are often most inspired when they're out and about. Style Finder helps customers instantly find what they're looking for, without the need to manually search and filter through our products,” Jim Cruickshank, head of digital product and UX at Marks & Spencer, said in a statement. "Enhancing the customer experience is central to our digital transformation journey. This is a brilliant example of how we're becoming more relevant, more often, to our customers who are increasingly shopping online and in particular using mobile devices."

Over 75 percent of Marks & Spencer’s online traffic currently comes from mobile and tablet devices, and this new tool looks to be the latest step in the retailer’s move towards becoming a digital-first retailer. Marks & Spencer’s digital-first strategy aims to see a third of all clothing & home sales to be online by 2022.

Photo credit: Marks & Spencer, Facebook