Shop by Image: Visual Search AI in Retail
Shop by Image: Visual Search AI in Retail
Let’s be honest—typing out product names can feel like decoding a puzzle. You know what you want, you’ve seen it somewhere, but the words just won’t do it justice. That’s where visual search retail is flipping the script in 2025.
Imagine this: You spot someone on the subway rocking the perfect pair of boots. Instead of awkwardly asking where they got them, you snap a quick pic—and boom! Your phone pulls up dozens of similar styles, ready to shop. That’s the magic of visual search, powered by AI and platforms like Glance AI, which are turning smartphone lock screens into personalized shopping windows before you even think of typing a word.
What Is Visual Search in Retail?
At its core, visual search retail uses AI to help shoppers search for products using images instead of words. Take a photo, upload a screenshot, or scan something in the real world—and visual search tools get to work. They scan the image, identify visual elements like color, shape, texture, and pattern, and instantly match it to similar products in a retailer’s inventory.
This form of AI visual product discovery is bridging the gap between online inspiration and immediate action. And thanks to smart integrations like Glance AI, visual cues now meet consumers right where they are—on their phone’s first screen.
Why Visual Search Is Booming in 2025
Explosive Growth: The global visual search market is on track to hit $150.43 billion by 2032. The North American market alone was valued at $3.3 billion in 2024.
Consumer Expectation: 85% of shoppers want visual search options on retail apps. It’s 30% faster than typing and feels more natural.
Millennial and Gen Z Preference: 62% of younger shoppers say they prefer visual over text search.
Major Investments: Big names like Amazon, Pinterest, and Google are leading the charge, but smaller retailers are jumping in fast.
Visual search retail isn’t niche anymore. It’s a mainstream shopping essential, and Glance AI’s subtle yet smart integration ensures these features pop up exactly when users need them most—without needing to open an app.
How Visual Search Works (In Plain English)
Here’s what happens under the hood:
1. Snap or Upload an Image
You upload a picture or screenshot of an item you like.
2. AI Breaks Down the Image
The system analyzes key features—colors, contours, textures, materials, and shapes.
3. Matching with Product Databases
The AI compares your image to thousands (or millions) of product photos.
4. Personalized Suggestions
Based on your browsing and purchase history, visual search recommends options that not only match visually but fit your personal style and price point.
Retail image search, in other words, is like your personal shopping assistant—except it doesn’t need coffee breaks.
Real Brands Making It Work
Pinterest Lens: Can recognize over 2.5 billion objects. 87% of users have made purchases using it.
Google Lens: Conducts over 20 billion searches monthly, with a significant chunk tied to shopping.
Amazon StyleSnap: Aims to turn outfit inspiration into purchases within seconds. It’s built into their app experience.
These platforms lead the way, but Glance AI adds another layer—contextual shopping nudges based on what users are actually seeing and interacting with. If you recently looked at denim jackets, Glance may surface image-based matches even before you open your shopping app.
The Big Benefits for Retailers (and You)
Benefit
What It Means
Higher Conversions
Visual search boosts e-commerce conversions by 27%
Larger Orders
Shoppers tend to spend 12% more per session
Fewer Returns
Better matches reduce product returns by 22%
Improved UX
Shoppers stay longer—session times increase by 33%
Personalization
72% of consumers say it improves their experience
Mobile Engagement
Visual features increase app usage by 25%
And here’s where Glance AI takes it up a notch—by offering this kind of smart discovery on the lock screen. No hunting, no typing—just see it, shop it.
Shopper Behavior Is Evolving—Fast
Visual search is transforming how people interact with retail:
Gen Z Is All In: 56% of Gen Z shoppers rely on visual search tools. It's how they expect to shop.
Images Over Words: 85% of people say product images are more trustworthy than text.
Social Media Influence: Many shoppers save screenshots from Instagram or TikTok and use them to find similar products using visual search.
Omnichannel Necessity: Customers now expect seamless transitions between online, mobile, and in-store experiences. Visual search is key to stitching it all together.
And when Glance AI brings it to the lock screen, users don’t even need to search anymore—smart suggestions come to them, based on image trends, current availability, and personal taste.
Visual Search Meets Glance AI
Glance AI is all about proactive discovery. It leverages user behavior, trends, and visual data to recommend products right when users are in the mood to browse. Visual search is central to that journey.
Let’s say you were looking up red sneakers last week. With Glance AI’s adaptive lock screen, you might now see trending styles in your favorite color or similar products visually sourced from across major e-commerce platforms. It's personalized, intuitive, and frictionless—exactly how retail should feel.
Where It’s Headed Next
AR + Visual Search: Expect virtual try-ons powered by visual search, so you can snap a mirror selfie and see how that bag or jacket would look on you.
Hyper-Personalized Suggestions: AI will soon predict your next style move based on what you’ve browsed, clicked, or screenshot.
Integration Everywhere: Visual search won’t be limited to apps. It’ll live in smart glasses, lock screens (thanks, Glance), and even home assistants.
Sustainability Links: Expect features that show eco-friendly or secondhand versions of the item you snapped.
Visual search is growing up—and it’s doing it fast. Glance AI is already helping bridge the present with this futuristic reality.
Expert Voices
"Consumers don’t want to search—they want to find. Visual search makes discovery instantaneous, intuitive, and way more enjoyable."
— Digital Retail Innovator, 2025
"Lock-screen shopping might sound simple, but when powered by visual search and AI, it becomes one of the most powerful retail touchpoints out there."
— Glance AI Product Lead
Conclusion: Visuals Win the Retail Race
Visual search retail isn’t just a cool tech trend—it’s how the next generation shops. When you combine the intuitive ease of snapping a photo with the intelligence of AI, you create magical moments of product discovery. And when platforms like Glance AI deliver these suggestions to your lock screen before you even think to ask? That’s not just smart retail—it’s future retail.
So, if you’ve ever wished shopping felt less like a chore and more like an Instagram scroll, you’re already in the visual search era. You just need the right tools.
Ready to Shop by Image?
Download the Glance app and experience visual search discovery directly from your lock screen—before the thought even hits.
Explore More with Glance
Want more insights into how Glance AI is changing the way we shop?
Check out the official Glance blog for retail innovation, visual search trends, and AI-powered product discovery:
Because why search, when you can glance?