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Dive Brief:
Amazon has integrated an AI image generator into its Amazon Shopping app, Mihir Bhanot, director of search at Amazon, wrote in a company blog post.
The tool creates images of products based on customers’ descriptions. It generates the images based on criteria such as pattern, color and texture and refines them with each new word the user adds.
Customers can select the image that best fits what they’re looking for and shop similar products. For now, shoppers can use it to search for apparel and home goods, but the company plans to offer the service across more product categories in the future, Bhanot wrote in the blog post.
Dive Insight:
An AI image generator is the latest in a string of efforts Amazon has made over the past few years to enhance its visual search capabilities.
In 2024, the company enabled customers to add text to their Amazon Lens searches, so that they can specify criteria like color, brand, material or dimensions. In that batch of features, the retailer also introduced its Visual Suggestions tool that prompts shoppers to narrow down overly broad search queries, such as “flannel shirt.” Shoppers can then pick the image that best demonstrates what they want and review a smaller selection of options.
Last year, Amazon unveiled its Lens Live feature within the Amazon Shopping app, which uses AI to scan products and identify matching items.
Along with its new AI image generator, Amazon debuted a “Shop by Style” tool, which creates AI-generated shoppable collages sorted into categories like “soft elegance” or “urban luxe,” according to the company blog post. From there, shoppers can either buy the curated items, explore similar products or browse styles to find their ideal outlook, per the blog post.
In addition to upgrading its visual search, Amazon has also deployed AI in other parts of the shopping journey. Last month, the company began rolling out its Alexa for Shopping tool, an AI shopping assistant available within the main search bar and its own chat window. Though the company will keep its traditional search bar, shoppers can now type questions into the Amazon Shopping app and receive responses from Alexa for Shopping.
In April, the retailer enabled shoppers to ask AI-generated hosts questions via text or voice while listening to an audio summary of a product.