Forever 21 debuts AI-powered search tools

Is visual search shopping the future? Forever 21 seems to think so. The company has extended a visual search bar and web site navigation tool to customers. The new search tools were developed by Donde Search, and aims to improve the shopping experience for those customers who use social media for product discovery.

“Visual search technology bridges the gap between the convenience of online shopping and the rich discovery experience of traditional retail by enabling our customers to search for clothing in the same way they think about it — using visuals, not words,” said Alex Ok, president of Forever 21, to WWD. “Early data shows that this is one of the most important innovations in the e-commerce space in recent years.”

A study by Donde showed that customers will decline to shop online if a purchase requires more than three clicks. The visual search function will help reduce the number of checkout steps.

“As e-commerce’s share of retail sales continues to grow, it’s more important than ever that retailers use a universal language that both shoppers and merchandisers can understand,” said Liat Zakay, chief executive officer and founder of Donde Search, to WWD. “Our visual search and navigation solution helps innovative retailers like Forever 21 eliminate language issues and improve conversion rates, and transform the online shopping experience for its customers.”

With the new technology, shoppers will be able to search the website by details like skirt length or neckline. The new technology debuted in the Forever 21 shopping app as "Discover Your Style" last May, and Forever 21 says they saw an immediate increase in sales.

“In the first month after launching the feature, Forever 21 saw an increase in sales conversions and a 20 percent increase in average purchase value for the two test categories. This initial success led Forever 21 executives to fast-track the large-scale web integration of Donde Search’s technology, which uses AI, computer vision and natural language processing to provide shoppers with more relevant search results, so they can find the exact outfits they’re looking for,” a spokesman said to WWD.

photo: Forever 21