The Future of Shopping: How Google Lens is Shaping Consumer Decisions This Holiday Season
After hours of endless scrolling for the perfect gift, an ideal item pops up in your Instagram feed. Since you’re probably scrolling during a Zoom call, you take a screenshot to not forget that perfect "fluffy beige blanket.” But alas, you didn’t capture the brand name, and so begins the next hour of Googling variations of "fluffy beige blanket," only to find that none match the one you screenshotted, and you’re wise enough to skip the 3 pages of Temu ads. If only there were a way to locate the exact item on your screen… well, like seemingly all things in life, Google’s got us covered.
Google Lens is a visual search engine that uses images and videos to identify objects. It uses image recognition technology to help users identify and enhance their lives around them. Google Lens can help users explore the world around them by assisting them in pinpointing a location, recognizing a brand logo, identifying objects, plants, and animals, scanning barcodes, and even translating text.
Just in time for the holidays, Google is updating its artificial intelligence engine to help shoppers make more informed decisions. According to Google, 72% of consumers use their smartphones in-store to find the best item at the best price. However, more than half of these shoppers are still leaving stores empty-handed. These new updates allow consumers to take a picture of a product and instantly access reviews, information on similar products at the same retailer, and price comparisons with other stores.
On the other side of consumer shopping, this is an opportunity for brands to improve their search engine optimization. Google Lens is evolving rapidly, so businesses and marketers can use these tools to keep up with the latest advancements:
Prioritize image visibility and quality: Use high-quality and high-resolution mobile-optimized visuals.
Optimize image metadata. Use descriptive file names, detailed alt tags, and images incorporated into schema markup* for better Google Lens indexing.
Leverage structured data. Implement schema to give Google more context about your products, helping them appear more accurately in visual search results.
*Schema markup is a set of tags that retailers add to their web page's code to help search engines understand their content
As we enter the peak holiday shopping season, consumers can use Google Lens to find the right product, and marketers can leverage brand awareness around their products. HCo offers expert copywriting and web services designed to help brands level up their online presence. With a focus on optimizing product searches through Google Lens, brands can reach more customers effectively.
This new tool bridges the gap between idea and purchase, making it easier for shoppers to discover and buy what they love while helping brands connect with audiences in impactful ways.
