AI Visual Search Apps Target Social Media Style of ‘See-Now-Buy-Now’

Tech firms are escalating their push to turn every outfit spotted on social media into an instant shopping opportunity, with startup Aesthetic launching the latest entry into the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered clothing recognition field.

The launch adds to the growing competition in “see-now-buy-now” fashion AI technology, where established players like Google Lens and Pinterest already offer tools to help users identify and purchase clothing they discover while scrolling through their feeds.

Aesthetic has gone through a seed funding round led by Craft Ventures, according to an Oct. 29 TechCrunch report. The startup’s founder told the publication that its technology can identify specific garments with 90% accuracy across major fashion brands and retailers.

The field has seen increasing investment as social media platforms race to add shopping features. Pinterest recently expanded its visual search capabilities to identify multiple items in a single image, while Google has partnered with retailers to integrate its Lens technology directly into their apps.

See also: Google’s Revamped Platform Brings AI Insights, Price Comparisons to In-Store and Online Retail

“At a time when influencer marketing is rapidly optimizing lead generation across visual social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the rise of ‘see it, buy it’ technology can lead to new opportunities for brands to appeal to their target audience by supplying wardrobes to carefully selected influencer accounts,” Tom South, director of organic and web at Epos Now, told PYMNTS.

Aesthetic’s technology lets users search with screenshots or photos, analyzing an image to identify specific clothing items and matching them to similar products. Unlike broader visual search tools, the company says it focuses exclusively on fashion, training its AI to recognize details like necklines, sleeve lengths and fabric patterns.

The use of AI for search isn’t entirely new. Google Lens launched a feature in 2019 called “style ideas,” letting users find outfit inspirations by analyzing clothing through photos. This feature helps shoppers see how others style similar items or match existing wardrobe pieces.

AI-powered visual search is changing eCommerce by shifting how consumers shop. Instead of typing queries, customers use images to find products intuitively. Amazon’s app lets users snap a photo to discover similar items on their platform, simplifying the shopping experience. Pinterest’s visual tools enable users to identify and buy products directly from images. Fashion retailers like ASOS have added a visual search feature to their apps, allowing customers to upload photos to find matching clothing items.

“I think this type of AI visual shopping search makes it very convenient for consumers,” Alex Smith, the founder of A Couple Consumers, told PYMNTS. “People can view content, see what people are wearing or what products they are using, and instantly know, assuming the software is spot-on, which product it is. Then, obviously, they can purchase it or add it to the cart when they’re ready to buy.”

In the past few months, visual search AI has made notable strides in the eCommerce world. Miros, an AI-powered visual search company from Tallinn, Estonia, last month secured 6 million euros (about $6.3 million) in pre-Series A funding to advance its technology. This innovation aims to tackle a massive $2 trillion global issue: product loss due to poor text-based searches. By enabling shoppers to find items using images instead of text, it greatly enhances the online shopping experience.

At the same time, these technological developments are reshaping personal style discovery, enhancing the influence of social media personalities and providing brands with new collaboration opportunities.

“Innovations in personal style discovery will generate even more power for influencers and improve the options available to brands looking to use social media personalities to promote products,” South said. “From shipping garments as freebies to structured wardrobes provided for events, this new frontier for instant shopping opportunities could be a watershed moment for influencer marketing ROI.”

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