eBay Adds New Image Recognition to Its Search Options

Founded in 1995, some may say eBay is the original online marketplace. With more than 20 years in the eCommerce business, eBay is looking for new ways to reinvent itself.

As PYMNTS reported, eBay recently added a price-matching guarantee to its services. Now, the company is looking to up its game by announcing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning into its platform. Consumers will have the capability to search for items in eBay’s online bank of goods through photos and social media.

Dubbed Image Search and Find It On eBay, which will be available in the fall on mobile devices, these new features combine computer vision with image recognition and machine learning to find items for sale. While Image Search will allow consumers to snap a photo and save it for eBay matching at a later date, Find It On eBay provides users with the ability to essentially screen grab from any social website to search for a particular item.

eBay’s vice president of buyer experience, product and engineering, Mohan Patt, commented on these new offerings and the company’s goal for implementing both in a news release.

“Moments of shopping inspiration can come at any time, whether you’re walking down the street or browsing your social media feed,” said Patt. “At eBay, we’re focused on creating new complementary technology that helps our millions of shoppers easily find the things they love at the best value. eBay Image Search and Find It On eBay makes it possible for people to shop eBay using any image or photo that inspires them.”

Whether these new features will help the future of the eCommerce company may still be up for debate, thanks, in large part, to its yo-yo-ing shares.