ASOS app now features visual search tool

ASOS has introduced a visual search tool for its mobile application to help consumers find clothing items and accessories using images. The tool allows users to upload pictures taken from their smartphones or screenshots captured from the web to find similar garments and purchase them through the e-commerce platform.

A camera icon has been added to the search bar, which can be tapped to upload a picture on the application to trigger an image search. The application will search its portfolio of 85,000 items that are available on the website to find the best match for the picture uploaded by the user.

The new tool adopts the ‘build-measure-learn’ approach to innovation, said the company in a press release. The technology is still in its initial phase and will be improved with the help of machine learning and big data in the future.

Close to 80 per cent of the traffic on ASOS in the UK comes from mobile devices and about 70 per cent of the orders in the UK are placed through them. Consumers spend 80 minutes every month on the ASOS app on an average.
The feature has been rolled out for iOS devices and will soon be released for Android smartphones and tablets. It is currently only available in the UK. (KD)