MARKETING TRENDS

How the rise of visual search should make online shopping easier

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team. | 2024

Combining keyword search with visual search technology will help consumers find and buy products online. Amazon and TikTok among the leaders.

A move towards ‘visual search’ will be one of the hot marketing trends of 2024, according to predictions published by media intelligence firm, Meltwater. The consultancy says this goes hand-in-hand with the growing popularity of shopping on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

While word-based search has long dominated the online actions of consumers, new technology allows users to search for information on the internet using imagery instead of, or in combination with, keywords.

Consequently, brands are starting to leverage visual search to enhance their digital marketing strategies.

“With infinite online shopping choices, the entirety of the digital and physical worlds has become our shopping mall. In turn, consumers have higher expectations than ever to be able to purchase the exact items they want and see in any context,” Meltwater says in its ‘Marketing Trends to Watch in 2024’, published at the end of December.

“Recent platform advancements in visual search are meeting those expectations and changing how the average consumer shops online.”

The company’s crystal-ball gazers point out that social media platform Pinterest, a visual discovery engine for finding home and styling ideas, is already advanced in its visual search capability.

TikTok is among those experimenting with visual search.

Photo Credit: Cottonbro Studio. Pexels.

TikTok and others are experimenting

TikTok Shop, which allows creators to promote and sell products to their community, has begun testing visual search as a way to grow its online shopping. Microsoft has launched visual search in Bing Chat, an AI-powered assistant that helps users browse the web.

Other big-name companies dabbling with visual search include Amazon and Google.

“Looking ahead, a wider range of marketers will have to adjust their strategies and outputs,” Meltwater says. “For many, the rise in visual search will require greater familiarity with visual SEO. They will also have to focus on making sure the visual customer experience is a pleasant one.

“As visual search becomes more commonplace, visually distinct brands will have a growing advantage. Those with a unique look will be more likely to be correctly identified by search engines and less likely to send traffic to lookalike competitors.”

You can read more about how TikTok is testing visual search to boost its online shopping capability here.

You can find out more about how Amazon’s inclusion of visual search can enhance a brand’s digital marketing efforts here.

Pre-conference masterclass discusses taking African brands to the world

Participants challenged to identify, articulate and commercialise the cultural assets that make their brand ready for a global audience.

Three people stand side by side in front of a sports direct backdrop the woman in the middle holds a blue and orange 'sports direct' sign

Africa’s first Sports Direct retail store opens its doors in Nairobi

Second outlet planned for Nairobi before year end, with Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco said to be future target markets.

Person wearing a beige sweater holds a phone with a translucent search bar reading 'search' and microphonecamera icons in the foreground

Search is fragmenting – credibility and trust create the new visibility

Online search behaviour has changed significantly with the rise of AI. How can African brands adapt to this new marketing landscape?

Person shopping at a deli counter holding an orange shopping basket in a cheese section of a supermarket

The move toward future-ready food packaging where materials meet AI

Researchers propose a framework for packaging that senses, learns and acts – making packaging an active, AI-powered tool against food waste.

Conference stage with a woman in a patterned dress speaking to an audience large screens display '' logos and banners for a marketers conference with 'institute of marketing in malawi' branding on stage panels and backdrop

Malawi’s marketers urged to put trust at the heart of the profession

Country needs marketers to build recognition and consumer trust around Malawian products and national brand, says Deputy Minister.

Lingerie brand creates street-stopping advertising in Manhattan

Fashion brand suspends giant lingerie high above the city’s streets, using shadows to create a moving billboard for pedestrians and motorists.

We know AI influencers aren’t real – so why do we trust them?

Researchers describe AI influencers as having a ‘dual identity’. Consumers evaluate both ‘person’ and ‘technology’ identities at once.

Hotel receptionist assisting a guest at the check in counter with a gray suitcase nearby behind the desk

Why trust has become a critical asset for hotel industry marketers

Reputation and trust, once modest influences on hotel choice, have become some of the strongest predictors of patronage, study finds.

Three people in formal attire pose for a photo at an awards event a woman in a pink dress holds a trophy while two men in suits stand beside her against a gold confetti backdrop

FNB bank’s eBucks programme dominates the 2026 SA loyalty awards

South African brands are increasingly setting the global benchmark for customer loyalty strategies, organisers say.

Portrait of a man with short black hair and a beard wearing a black button down shirt against a light gray background

Zambia’s strongest creative ideas are emerging from local truths

Global influences among younger consumers are still present, but they are being filtered through a distinctly Zambian lens.

Yellow humanoid robot at a bakery counter inspecting a display of donuts on display in front of glass cases

Consumers have doubts about products when they’re designed by AI

Researchers find that lack of perceived ‘genuine care’ is the mechanism connecting AI involvement to lower trust ratings.