AI Case Study
Facebook is testing a system to recommend products on Marketplace similar to photos of items people are looking for
Facebook is testing a new feature on Marketplace to allow its users to benefit even more from the use of AI. Until now it offers both buyers and sellers an enhanced experience through advanced product index, auto-enhancing images and optimising titles in product listings and autosuggesting categories. Now, it wants to allow buyers to take photos of something that they like in the real world and be able to find something similar on its website. The feature is based on computer vision where the system will try to recommend visually similar products.
Industry
Consumer Goods And Services
Retail General
Project Overview
Facebook is "currently testing a new feature that allows buyers to take a photo of something out in the real world, such as headphones similar to those you saw in a store or a bag your friend is carrying, and search for visually similar products on Marketplace. Eventually, our computer vision platform could potentially be used to recommend products that would go well with an item that was just viewed — for example, recommending an end table that goes well with a sofa. AI may not perfectly understand nuanced style preference, but with enough context and sufficient contextual and visual understanding, it could help point us in the right direction."
Reported Results
Research; results not yet available
Technology
"Eventually, our computer vision platform could potentially be used to recommend products that would go well with an item that was just viewed"
Function
Marketing
Product Marketing
Background
"Armed with a better product index, a faster retrieval system, and the ability to understand context and relevance, Marketplace is able to serve both buyers and sellers in a more seamless way. But this is not the end of the road."
Benefits
Data
photos of items and objects