When it comes to shopping for fashion, typing in a search query is so yesterday.
Millennials and the generation coming up behind them grew up experiencing the world through their phones and tablets, and the photos and videos dancing across those omnipresent screens.
Revolve, the fashion brand beloved by trend-conscious millennials, is hoping to capitalize on this shopping behavior by partnering with Spanish firm Donde Search, the startup that has helped Forever 21 drive order values up by 20 percent. Donde solves problems for consumers who know what they like but might not have the words to describe it, replacing text with graphic icons so shoppers can simply tap a picture of what’s appealing and kick of their search that way.
And while Donde’s artificial intelligence-powered Visual Search technology aids customers in their search journey, it also gives retailers a tool to accelerate and automate merchandising and unlock product insights.
At Revolve, the partnership is already off to a good start, with key categories experiencing as much as a 16 percent boost in conversions, according to Michael Mente, the brand’s co-founder and CEO. Dresses, pants and tops put through rigorous A/B testing saw a lift in conversion ranging from 11 percent to 16 percent. Bottoms are searchable by cut, color, waist and pattern, while options for dress search focus on sleeves, neckline, pattern, cut and length.
“As the leading fashion retailer for millennials, visual discovery is critical to providing an authentic online shopping experience,” Mente said. “We are taking the guesswork out of shopping for our customers.”
Visual search could help retain customers who, otherwise frustrated by not finding what they want, could be tempted to decamp to a competitor, Grace Hong, Revolve’s VP of product and design, noted. “If our customer does not have a way to find what she likes, she’s likely to move on to the next app or site vying for her attention,” she continued. “It’s absolutely necessary to enable…an intuitive discovery and find what she wants in few taps, and this partnership with Donde makes that experience not only possible, but seamless.”
As technology catches up to consumer behavior, Donde CEO Liat Zakay believes one day the company’s platform could become “standard for the shopping experience.”