Google Innovates Online Shopping with AI-Driven Try-On Feature for Diverse Body Types

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Google Utilizes Artificial Intelligence to Demonstrate Clothing Fit on Varied Body Shapes

A major challenge with shopping online is determining if a clothing piece will truly fit. Although several brands are now employing models that represent a broader range of body shapes, customers frequently have to rely on guesswork—or deal with numerous returns.

On Tuesday, Google revealed its latest innovation aimed at addressing the issue of estimating clothing sizes through the deployment of generative artificial intelligence. Advertisers promoting men's or women's shirts can now present potential buyers with visuals of the merchandise on a variety of real-life models, bypassing the need for extra photography. Currently, this feature is not available for other clothing categories, and Google has yet to announce when these might be incorporated.

The innovative function allows users to input phrases like “eyelet crop top” into Google’s search bar, which might then display an advertisement featuring an interactive collection of images illustrating how the product appears on women of varying sai-allcreator.com">kin complexions and body shapes. This tech aims to enhance the online shopping experience by providing shoppers with a clearer expectation of how a top might appear on themselves or the individual they are purchasing for, explained Matt Madrigal, the vice president of merchant shopping at Google, during a conversation with WIRED.

The latest advertising model builds upon Google's previously launched no-cost, digital try-on feature, which was made available to companies in organic search outcomes last year. This model employs artificial intelligence to merge images of products provided by the seller with pre-existing model photographs, showcasing an initial instance of Google leveraging its generative AI capabilities to benefit its fundamental internet advertising operations.

Google has stated that for the creation of new images showcasing models in various outfits, brands are not required to provide precise measurements of the clothing. This simplifies the process for advertisers utilizing the virtual try-on feature, yet it does not offer a substitute for traditional measuring methods for customers looking to ensure the perfect fit of garments such as a crop top on their body.

At Google's yearly Marketing Live event for advertisers, the company unveiled the try-on ad format alongside several other innovative AI-driven retail technologies. Over the past year, Google has been exploring how generative AI can boost its profitable online advertising sector. This sector generated $61.7 billion in revenue in the last quarter, marking a 13 percent increase compared to the same quarter the previous year.

Google is placing a significant emphasis on retail as it observes some advertisers reallocating their budget towards Amazon, which experienced a remarkable 24 percent growth in advertising income in the last quarter compared to the same timeframe in 2023. Additionally, Google contends with TikTok for market share, as the app gains popularity among younger audiences who use it to discover products through videos of users reviewing and demonstrating items for their audience.

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Today, Google unveiled a novel advertising model that enables companies to attach brief videos, either produced by themselves or commissioned from creators, to their ads on Google’s search platform. Below these videos, AI-crafted text overviews will be provided. Madrigal observed, "With three Generation Z members in my household, I’ve noticed their shopping habits are heavily influenced by video content."

Google has introduced a feature enabling businesses to generate brand-new, AI-crafted product visuals using photographs from previous marketing efforts and images that embody their brand essence. As an illustration, a company specializing in home products might submit a photo of a candle along with a beach scene, then request Google to "place the candle on a beach resembling this scene, surrounded by palm trees."

Shannon Smyth, who established a fragrance and body-care enterprise named A Girl’s Gotta Spa, mentioned that she started utilizing Google's artificial intelligence-powered image services last year. These services were introduced as a component of a software named Product Studio. Initially, Google permitted vendors only to change the backgrounds of their current product images and perform minor adjustments, such as enhancing the image quality.

"Smyth mentions that this occurred at a time when maintaining our social media platforms with high-quality photos was becoming a challenge, and with tightening budgets, I opted to experiment with it," she explains. She employs it to create visuals for social media, her email newsletter, and her Amazon storefront. (Smyth was referred to WIRED by Google to share her insights on using their AI tools.)

Smyth mentioned that her experience with Google's AI functionalities has been increasingly positive, attributing this to the time they save and their improvement over time. Initially, she encountered challenges, such as the AI producing images lacking shadows or reflections, or including objects that couldn't be recognized. However, she observed that by consistently providing feedback on each image, these problems started to diminish.

Google aims to assist advertisers in generating eye-catching visuals while reducing their reliance and expenditure on professional graphic designers, photographers, set creators, and models. This development might not bode well for these professionals, and there's a risk that consumers might end up dissatisfied if the product images are not true to life. However, Google believes that utilizing AI-generated images will enhance the appeal of advertisements, leading to increased engagement and clicks, thereby elevating its earnings.

However, the firm and its rivals could merely be assisting merchants in bypassing the costs associated with high-priced software, such as Photoshop, or the hefty fees for creative services. The extent to which customers will be motivated to increase their advertising remains uncertain. Smyth mentioned that despite her admiration for Product Studio, her business does not invest in advertising on Google.

Advertising produced by artificial intelligence is steadily becoming a common aspect of online environments. In the early part of this month, Meta introduced a feature for advertisers on Facebook and Instagram that enables them to create new iterations of current product images through AI, expanding beyond the earlier provision of just AI-created backgrounds. Additionally, both Meta and Google offer the facility for advertisers to create promotional text for their advertisements using AI.

Last autumn, Amazon unveiled a beta version of an image-generation tool capable of producing backgrounds for product images. This tool offers brands the ability to craft visuals for their products, such as depicting a garden hose not just against a stark white background but within an illustrated setting of a backyard complete with a garden and trees, eliminating the need for real soil.

The pressing issue is whether or not shoppers will be turned off by advertisements created by artificial intelligence, assuming they even recognize them at all. Several fashion labels, such as Levi’s and SelAI-allcreator.com">kie, a dressmaking company, have encountered criticism from their clientele following their revelation of testing out AI technologies. However, for numerous smaller online retail businesses, the advantages of employing AI could surpass the potential drawbacks.

"Smyth expressed, "The truth is, small enterprises are collapsing rapidly. We're just managing to survive," he observed. "It has been crucial for keeping me visible to both existing and prospective clients. Without this avenue, I'm fairly certain my brand's image would have suffered greatly, or I might have given up on numerous social platforms altogether."

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