“At launch, Bing’s visual search option only works on a few topics, but it’s a great move for brands. For starters, the new search option is designed with advertisers in mind.
Retail items lend themselves more easily to this kind of search, and Microsoft is smart to drill down on niches where there is room for improvement on search.
By visualizing the process of shopping for popular retail items, Microsoft can simplify the process and attract shoppers looking to make purchases — which could subsequently increase the value of its search terms.
“We did some more research to see how people process large amounts of information,” saidStefan Weitz, a director in Microsoft’s Bing group. Mr. Weitz said users were able to go through thumbnail images much faster than through snippets of text.
That’s especially useful when looking for new products. And if Microsoft can quickly turn out more thorough iterations of this product, visual search could be very good for business.”
- article by Meghan Keane