Google and eBay are ramping up technology to help brands and sellers entice consumers.
Google’s newest capability, which leverages artificial intelligence and is built on top of the technology behind its video generation model, Veo, allows consumers to see 360-degree, 3D views of products they’re considering purchasing.
Steve Seitz, distinguished scientist, Google Labs, said the technology is designed to help users have a store-adjacent experience digitally.
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“Capturing the intuitive, hands-on nature of the store experience is nuanced and can be challenging to replicate on a screen. We know that technology can help bridge the gap, bringing key details to your fingertips with a quick scroll,” Seitz wrote in a blog announcing the new feature. “But these online tools can be costly and time-consuming for businesses to create at scale.”
The AI model can build a 3D rendering of a product based on as few as three images of it that capture the majority of its surface area. Without seeing multiple views of the product, the technology would have to hallucinate certain pieces of it, which could make for an inaccurate rendering.
The technology to enable this capability for Google users comes from several different systems — and lots of iterating. It seems the company wants to continue refining its shopping experience.
“Looking ahead, we are excited to continue to push boundaries in this space and to help make shopping online increasingly delightful, informative and engaging for users,” Seitz wrote.
Google isn’t alone in the quest to sharpen its consumer-facing prowess; marketplace platform eBay has also gotten in on the generative AI-powered fun.
The marketplace announced Tuesday that it had launched a generative AI video tool that allows sellers to create content to be shared to social media platforms. The tool can create videos for YouTube and TikTok, though eBay said it hopes to expand to other platforms in the future.
To create a video, the seller selects existing images from a listing, and generative AI does the rest; a demo video shows that the resulting video adds details like the name of the listing and the price to the video, which shows a product from multiple angles. The idea, according to eBay, is that the content is easy for sellers to use: “There is no need for video editing skills, extra equipment or hours of work,” the company said.
Once the video has been generated, users can write their own caption or use eBay’s social caption generator — launched in 2023 — to add further details or a social media-friendly description.
“As video content continues to play a vital role in social sharing, we are committed to expanding this tool’s capabilities to help sellers reach even more buyers across multiple platforms,” eBay said in its announcement. “Our goal is to provide even greater opportunities for sellers to drive more visibility, engage new audiences and expand their brand across social platforms.”