Visual Search Solution Monetizes Add-Ons for Developers

Michael Garrity — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:30:00 GMT

The growth of the mobile Web has also spurred the recent growth of visual search. Superfish, a company that develops visual search technology, is looking to capitalize on this industry growth and has recently concluded the beta testing and general availability of Superfish Visual Search for the Web.

Visual Search for the Web is a resource intended for developers who want "to quickly and easily add consumer product comparison functionality to their browser add-ons, extensions or toolbars."

The technology employed analyzes an image algorithmically in order to deliver similar and identical images in real-time without requiring text tags.

Following the beta testing, the company released case studies of the various test participants (there were 12 total), including Surf Canyon, a browser add-on that adds an intelligence layer on top of Google, Bing or other SERPs, and FastestFox, another add-on that increases user efficiency and makes "common Web browsing tasks" more convenient.

The new solution from Superfish is easily integrated into add-ons, extensions and toolbars with a simple, single line of Javascript code and only takes about an hour to complete. Superfish Visual Search for the Web will then help display similar and identical product results whenever a user scrolls over any product image on any Web page. The results are aggregated from a listing that contains over 150 million products from retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Macy's, eBay, Toys 'R' Us and many more.

"Superfish is squarely focused on the end-user experience," says Surf Canyon CEO Mark Cramer. "They add a great new feature to Surf Canyon that our users enjoy, fits in perfectly with the core functionality of our app, and we don't have to dedicate any time to manage/maintain it."

In the end, this is a great feature because it gives browser add-on developers a way to monetize their work, as extensions are traditionally a free feature for users. Superfish Visual Search for the Web, however, will deliver immediate revenue to developers, because for every user click on a similar product displayed by the solution, the developer will get some kind of commission.

"We previously relied on Amazon affiliate links to monetize FastestFox," says FastestFox CEO Yongqian Li. "Superfish provides a new avenue for monetization. The financial benefits are great, but I am especially pleased with the way it has helped me deliver even more value to my users."

Instant Previews Make Great Design Imperative

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:07:00 GMT

Google wants to keep users on its search results pages and increase their interaction – that much is clear with the release today of image-base snapshots.

Dubbed Instant Previews, Google has essentially released what amounts to a new kind of visual search result.

According to Google, “Instant Previews provide a graphic overview of a search result and highlights the most relevant sections.” How will users respond? Google’s own testing revealed that people who use Instant Previews were about 5% more likely to be satisfied with the result they select.

To use Instant Previews, click once on the magnifying glass next to the title of any search result and a visual overview of the page will appear on the right. From there, hover your cursor over any other result to see a preview.

How does Instant Preview impact you as a Web professional?

Since users will be able to compare results and find the content they are looking for more quickly, it has made design far more important. More on that and how consumers really feel about Instant Previews in the future.

While we’re still not seeing Instant Previews from our office in Chicago, Google indicated that the feature is rolling out this week.

'Net Features : visual search

Visual Search Solution Monetizes Add-Ons for Developers

Instant Previews Make Great Design Imperative