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AI Case Study

Taobao uses Alibaba Group's image search feature to allow app users to search for products by user uploaded image

Taobao shopping app allows users to photograph items and then upload them to the app, which suggests similar products to buy based on an image search.

Industry

Consumer Goods And Services

Retail General

Project Overview

From CMO: "'On the Taobao app, when you want to search for a product, you can actually take a picture and upload a picture and it will find a similar picture in the catalogue... 'There are certain limits on how you can describe a product. But on the other hand, a picture is worth a thousand words. One you put in a picture, it becomes much more clear what you’re looking for'. Image Search - which is now mature enough and announced as part of the Alibaba Cloud offering in March - was recently picked up by The Iconic, an Australia online fashion and footwear store."

Reported Results

The vendor claims "14 billion people use this feature everyday, and the company has three billion images of over 10 million products." (CMO)

Technology

Function

Marketing

Digital Marketing

Background

From CMO: "Taobao is considered one of the world's biggest e-commerce websites". Product image search allows users of Taobao's shopping app to photography an item and then have the app find similar items on its site for sale.

Benefits

Data

Image data, captured from users' phones

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