Visual search engine Like.com will launch apparel and accessories this week, pointing shoppers to almost four million fashion items that closely resemble those worn by celebrities.
The Web site uses images — not just descriptive keywords — as the basis for a search. Love that frothy blouse Scarlett Johansson wore to a movie premiere? Click on that photo to see a selection of similar blouses and shops that sell them. Like the embellishments on the sleeve, but the color, not so much? Dial up or dial down the importance of those details and the search returns a more refined selection.
“You can fully dress yourself now, on Like,” said Munjal Shah, chief executive officer of San Mateo, Calif.-based search engine Riya, which launched Like.com three months ago.
The site initially featured shoes, handbags, watches and jewelry. This week, that mix doubles with the addition of shirts, sweaters, pants, jackets and vests for men and women. New women’s categories include skirts, intimates, hosiery and maternitywear. Hats, gloves, scarves, belts and sunglasses round out the mix.
About 350 merchants are linked in, including newcomers lizclaiborne.com, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, A|X Armani Exchange and eBay, among others. Riya collects commission on search referrals. Rates vary, Shah said, and 10 to 15 percent of a purchased item’s value or 40 to 50 cents per click is average.
The Like.com site is unique in that celebrity photos, provided by Getty Images, drive search results. Jessica Simpson is the most searched celebrity on Like.com, followed by Mischa Barton and Jennifer Lopez.
Converting visual content of an image to data that computers can process to deliver relevant search results is far more complex than doing so with text. Image recognition experts compute a visual signature for each photo, which contains some 10,000 data points, Shah said.
Soon shoppers will be able to upload their own photos and use them as the basis for a visual search. There is no firm timetable for that feature’s launch.
“I think that would be huge,” said David Polinchock, chief experience officer of Brand Experience Lab, a New York think tank that studies how emerging technologies shape consumers’ brand perceptions.
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Polinchock said Like.com scores points for resisting the desire to change human behavior, a mistake entrepreneurs often make. Some call it the “hammer looking for a nail” syndrome. Instead, Like.com applies technology to human nature that already exists: we covet.
“I do this all the time,” he said. “I see someone walk down the street and I say, ‘I like those glasses.’ We all do this.” With the ability to snap a shot on the street, shoppers can find a similar item online without asking a stranger where she bought it.
“It’s a democratization of fashion,” Polinchock added. “One of the fascinating things to me is that this didn’t come from retail. You would have thought that some fashion-forward retailer would have thought of it.”