The search features are designed to help users find the right foundation shade, and get a better look at sneakers.
Google is continuing to introduce more visual tools to search, as it seeks to help shoppers get a better look at products before they choose to buy them.
This week, the company issued a pair of releases that harness augmented reality, which uses digital tools to enhance a physical view. Virtual try-on features that use augmented reality have been proliferating lately across ecommerce, and some believe they will eventually be table stakes for an online shopping experience. With new tools designed to match foundation shades and get a better look at sneakers, it's becoming clear that Google views AR as a means to provide views and details for shoppers so that they shoppers can only find an item they like, but locate the variation of the product that is right for them.
Let’s take a look:
In the makeup category, Google says foundation is the most-searched category.
“It’s also one of the most personal products you can buy — the slightest change in color or tone can make a big difference,” writes Danielle Buckley, the company's director of product for consumer shopping. “But photos of foundation on models don’t always reflect the diversity of shoppers, and other times, you can only find images of the product’s packaging.”
Shade matters. Google research reports that 60% of shoppers have decided not to purchase an item online because they didn’t know what color or shade to choose, and 41% have returned an item because it was the wrong shade.
In an effort to assist with finding the right shade, Google has a new augmented reality feature that is designed to help users find a match through visualization. It includes a photo library featuring 148 models that represent a “diverse spectrum of skin tones, ages, genders, face shapes, ethnicities and skin types,” Google states.
Users can search for a foundation shade across price ranges and brands. Then, they will be shown what that foundation looks like on models with similar skin tones, including before and after shots. Once they pick a foundation, they can purchase through the retailer.
Another feature introduced this week will apply augmented reality to sneaker shopping. Google will display sneakers in a format in which users can spin around them and zoom. At home, users can also hold up a phone to see the sneakers in their space.
The idea is to provide a closer and more well-rounded view of the kicks, so that users can see if details like laces and soles match their style.
Brands including Saucony, VANS and Merrell are now available for try-on, with more expected to be added.
A reason? Engagement with 3D images is 50% higher than static photos. Google is also continuing to develop 3D spins of shoes, which it previously announced.
A looming question surrounding augmented reality is whether it can become a one-to-one stand-in for the experience of in-person shopping. Google’s announcement suggests that it is more of a supplement at this point.
“There's no replacing the feeling of visiting your favorite store,” the company writes. “But for the days you just can’t make it there, these features can help bring that experience to you.”
That may be a bit of a hedge based on the stage of the technology. The foundation library is a great resource, but doesn’t seem ready to replace the act of putting foundation on in front of a mirror just yet. Likewise, the ability to view sneakers from many angles will help make decisions, but still can’t replicate the feel of the shoes once you put them on. Viewing sneakers in one's space also doesn't appear to have the same value of applying that capability to, say, a couch.
Yet with these releases, Google is sending a signal here that it believes AR is important, and showing how it is making progress. They're probably best viewed as laying the groundwork for future advances, even as they may provide some incremental improvements to return rates in the meantime.
What’s more notable from a high level is that it shows how Google continues to center commerce. The company has made significant moves to integrate shopping more directly into the overall search experience this year, and provide more features that put its capability to catalog massive amounts of information from the internet in service of helping people find products. The AR releases are just the latest example of how shopping is a core use case for new search technology. In other recent rollouts, Google has:
Labor disputes on the West Coast could cause further disruption heading into peak season.
When the first half of 2023 is complete, imports are expected to dip 22% below last year.
That’s according to new data from the Global Port Tracker, which is compiled monthly by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
The decline has been building over the entire year, as imports dipped in the winter. With the spring, volume started to rebound. In April, the major ports handled 1.78 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units. That was an increase of 9.6% from March. Still it was a decline of 21.3% year over year – reflecting the record cargo hauled in over the spike in consumer demand of 2021 and the inventory glut 2022.
In 2023, consumer spending is remaining resilient with in a strong job market, despite the collision of inflation and interest rates. The economy remains different from pre-pandemic days, but shipping volumes are beginning to once again resemble the time before COVID-19.
“Economists and shipping lines increasingly wonder why the decline in container import demand is so much at odds with continuous growth in consumer demand,” said Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett, in a statement. “Import container shipments have returned the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019 and appear likely to stay there for a while.”
Retailers and logistics professionals alike are looking to the second half of the year for a potential upswing. Peak shipping season occurs in the summer, which is in preparation for peak shopping season over the holidays.
Yet disruption could occur on the West Coast if labor issues can’t be settled. This week, ports from Los Angeles to Seattle reported closures and slowdowns as ongoing union disputes boil over, CNBC reported. NRF called on the Biden administration to intervene.
“Cargo volume is lower than last year but retailers are entering the busiest shipping season of the year bringing in holiday merchandise. The last thing retailers and other shippers need is ongoing disruption at the ports,” aid NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “If labor and management can’t reach agreement and operate smoothly and efficiently, retailers will have no choice but to continue to take their cargo to East Coast and Gulf Coast gateways. We continue to urge the administration to step in and help the parties reach an agreement and end the disruptions so operations can return to normal. We’ve had enough unavoidable supply chain issues the past two years. This is not the time for one that can be avoided.”
