Author: Bonnie Harris

  The other day I read this quote in Anne Lamott’s new book Dusk, Night, Dawn: “…the movement of grace in our lives so often begins with desperation and blurt.”  After I stopped laughing I realized it was a perfect way to recap 2021. Grace continues to...

Visual search marketing is breaking down new barriers for businesses every year and we are seeing this the most in the field of ecommerce. With more than two-thirds of online sales1 being made on mobile devices, utilizing visual search and e-commerce stores is a sure-fire way to increase revenue. In our first blog on visual search, we dove into the specifics of visual search and why it is projected to be the top marketing trend of 2021. Some companies are doing it better than others, however. Here's how Amazon, eBay and other e-commerce juggernauts are dominating this new trend:
  1. Amazon
Amazon is the fastest-growing e-commerce company in the United States. Although well known, it is still stunning to look at Amazon’s projected sales in 2021. According to emarketer.com, the juggernaut of online sales is projected to gross $367.19 Billion in sales this coming year. So it’s no surprise that Amazon would be one of the leaders in visual search marketing. StlyeSnap  is the software that Amazon created to enter into the visual search market. StyleSnap helps users shop for clothes and accessories online, generating recommendations for similar items in the same style. Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s Consumer Worldwide CEO explained how the software works stating, “When a customer uploads an image, we use deep learning for object detection to identify the various apparel items in the image and categorize them into classes like dresses or shirts. We then find the most similar items that are available on Amazon.” The software will incorporate brands, customer reviews and price ranges in its analysis.
  1. Ebay
Ebay is often looked at as Amazon’s younger cousin. Landing in the top 3 of projected e-commerce sales in 2021, Ebay is projected to generate over $38 Billion in sales this year.

The term “Visual Search Marketing” has been around for a number of years. Although large companies like Bing, Yahoo and Google have been utilizing visual search technology in their search engines for a while now, it wasn’t until recently that this type of technology reached a point where it could become a top trend in the digital marketing world. In this blog, we'll walk you through the basics of what visual search is,  and why it is on the cusp of becoming the biggest marketing trend of 2021. What is Visual Search? Simply put, visual search uses Artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help people search for items using real-world imagery as opposed to a text search. When someone performs a visual search, they are searching for a product using an image, which saves them the hassle of typing multiple keywords into a search engine in hopes of finding what they are already currently seeing. Imagine you are on a hike in the woods and come across an animal or flower that you want to know the name of. As we know, it can sometimes be incredibly difficult to describe exactly what you are seeing. Instead, you take a picture of the object, using Google Lens, for instance. The software will identify the object as well as give you information on what you are looking at. There are a lot of reasons why visual search is becoming such an important component of integrated marketing, but here are the main top four:  
  1. The Demographic Demands It
Visual search has been around for several years so why is it now, in 2021, becoming a top trend? The answer is simple. Millennial and Generation Z consumers are drawn to visual search capabilities more than any other new technology. In fact, 62% of Millennials  desire the ability to visually search for products online. With Millennial consumers making up over 30% of total retail sales and Generation Z accounting for $44 Billion in buying power, it’s important that marketing trends closely follow these generational tendencies.
  1. Statistical Success

Being stuck in your house does not imply that you cannot film professional-looking videos.  While video creators are no longer able to go to the studio on a daily basis, travel across the world, or shoot freely in any given location other than one’s own homes, it is possible to create attractive videos with the resources available at home.  Filming Professional Videos While Working from Home

Mobile apps are changing every year, and the rapid improvement in mobile technology is constantly opening up new opportunities. With that in mind, brands that fail to keep up with the latest developments will quickly fall behind the competition. In this article, we’ll take a look at three of the most notable mobile app development trends for marketers and other stakeholders to keep in mind throughout 2021. Don’t hesitate to check out our website for more information if you want to learn more about professional iPhone app development. Wearable Technology Wearable tech is growing even more rapidly than the broader mobile market, including everything from fitness tools to smartwatches and a variety of other items. While some of these trends will fizzle out over time, others are here to stay for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, apps for wearable devices are no longer a tiny subset of the mobile app market. Companies in more and more industries can now benefit from dedicating development resources to wearable tech. These items will likely become even more commonplace over the next several years. Mobile E-commerce Sales