After the successful limited rollout of a visual product search solution, Neiman Marcus has expanded the offering across all product categories. The upscale department store retailer initially launched the visual search solution powered by Slyce in October 2014, just for shoes and handbags.
“Our customers are excited to have such an innovative new way of finding items instantly without the hurdle of finding the right words to describe an item,” said Wanda Gierhart, CMO of Neiman Marcus Group, in an exclusive interview with Retail TouchPoints. The program now includes women’s apparel, jewelry, home furnishings, children’s, pets and men’s fashion.
With the solution called Snap. Find. Shop., shoppers can quickly purchase items in three steps:
Advertisement
-
Send a 3D image of a desired product via the mobile app;
-
Receive photos and information on the same or closely matching items from the Neiman Marcus product line; and
-
Purchase the items immediately.
Although Gierhart indicated that she is not able to share specific metrics, she noted: “We have had very positive customer feedback” following the launch of the expanded solution. “When we initially rolled out with shoes and handbags, we found that customers were taking lots of pictures of items in other categories as well. We always hate to disappoint our customers and realized there was a demand to use this technology across all the products we sell.”
In addition to helping shoppers with their own product search, Neiman Marcus store associates also are using the solution to improve the customer experience both in-store and via mobile communication. Gierhart explained: “Beyond making it easy to quickly purchase, customers enjoy using the app to easily connect with their sales associates, find out about great promotions and in-store events, and make payments in-store via the mobile wallet feature.”
A Toronto-based startup, Slyce raised $10.75 million in 2014 to kick off its visual search program. More recently, in January 2015 Slyce purchased mobile couponing app SnipSnap, a visual recognition tool that lets users snap a photo and digitize a paper coupon. Slyce also provides visual search capabilities for Tillys.com.
