Facebook is arming Instagram with AI-powered tools to recognize items in images and pull relevant product listings, along with an AR try-on feature.
Facebook is now looking to take online shopping to the next level with the use of AI-driven visual experiences. The social media giant introduced the Shop section in the Facebook app last year and brought something similar with the Shop tab on Instagram. So far, tools such as product tags and captions have further helped brands to highlight their products.
Ads in product tags made things even easier for businesses to lead shoppers to a dedicated product information page and eventually to their digital storefront for a seamless online shopping experience. Facebook has kept adding new commerce tools such as live shopping, product launches, and shopping directly from creators — all culminating in a native checkout portal where a user doesn’t have to leave the app. Of course, Facebook Pay is part of those plans, but privacy concerns have kept it from truly becoming the solution the company hopes it to be. However, what Facebook has been missing out on the most is a native Google Lens-like experience for shopping.
This is where visual search comes in. Facebook says it is bringing new AI-powered visual search and product discovery tools to Instagram. Facebook already has some experience with fun AR effects, but it is now looking at the business side of the technology. Starting with visual search, the company plans to begin testing this year, allowing Instagram users to find product listings and recommended items by simply tapping on photos. The goal is to turn almost every item appearing on Instagram into a shoppable product with help from AI-powered image recognition and search.
Facebook Deploying AI To Recognize & Try On Items
Facebook also claims to have made some advancements with GrokNet, its in-house product recognition system. Essentially, Facebook explains that it has created a new compositional module that can classify product images shared by users into appropriate attribute-object classifiers, even if the model hasn’t been trained for such an item. As per the experts from its team, recent innovations in the field will even allow it to surface relevant products if users enter a vague query such as ‘Find a scarf with the same pattern and material as this skirt’ in the future. The company is even exploring an AI-powered stylist that will recommend accessories for a piece of clothing.
However, finding products on an online storefront is just half the picture, with the other half involving seeing how it looks in real life. To solve this part of the puzzle, Facebook is relying on the magic of Augmented Reality overlays. For example, users can check how a particular shade of lipstick will look on them before buying, or how well a wooden table blends with the décor of their home. This is not a novel concept considering brands like Razer are already using AR filters to sell products like its cool RGB-lit mask. However, the sheer scale and diversity of products being sold via Facebook and Instagram storefronts could significantly boost the potential of an AR try-on overlay.
The arrival of visual search and AR product overlays will enhance the shopping experience for buyers. In addition, Facebook is also making sure that businesses lacking the technical resources, such as the ability to create complex 3D assets, are not left out. In collaboration with leading names in the industry, the company is testing APIs that will allow businesses to import AR Try On-ready 3D objects and assets directly to Facebook. These assets can subsequently be added to an Instagram/Facebook Shop or an AR-enabled Ad, streamlining the whole process of dealing with AR assets and saving time too. Facebook eventually aims to carry this AR-backed shopping experience to devices such as Augmented Reality glasses in the future.
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Source: 24baze
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