E-commerce site Rakuten Taiwan has partnered with visual search platform ViSenze today to bring the startup’s visual search technology to Rakuten’s fashion shopping discovery feature. Claiming to be the first of its kind in Taiwan, we found that the feature is definitely fun to use.
The photo search works on the Rakuten Taiwan ‘Funsearch’ page (pictured below) or on the OShare Fashion Finder page. You can upload a photo or insert an image link and then you will be shown tons of similar product recommendations. The ViSenze team says that the visual similarity is assessed based on type of clothing, style, colour, and patterns. The visual search feature will also be rolled out on Rakuten’s other sites in Asia, says Toru Shimada, CEO of Rakuten Asia.
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Without knowing the name of the product, users can search for similar ones on Rakuten by using an image, either by uploading or inserting an image link.
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After hitting the search button, a list of similar products will appear. We have uploaded the red skirt shown on the top left corner of this screenshot.
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Browse, select, and buy.
Singapore-based ViSenze claims that what sets its image search abilities apart is that it can differentiate key objects in images and isolate them from the background for better image recognition. Besides Rakuten Taiwan, ViSenze has partnered with another fashion oriented company, Clozette, which is based in Singapore, for its similar ‘find and buy’ function.
But ViSenze believes that its technology can be used for other verticals besides the fashion e-shopping industry. Oliver Tan, the CEO of ViSenze, says that the team is now adapting its algorithm to other things like cars and consumer electronics.
