Google is no stranger to AI, and it's making use of the technology again in one significant way.
And that is to improve Google Search, to allow experience of using the search engine a lot better for e-commerce and window shoppers. To do this, the company is expanding the use use of generative AI to create a way for users to virtual try various clothes on a selection of real models.
What the AI does, is putting and 'resizing' users selected clothes, so they can fit on the model.
This way, users can see how the clothes would look, if they're put on their own body.
The feature is designed to give shoppers a way to mimic a real-world, in-person shopping experience digitally as best as that is possible.
In a blog post, Google said that:
This isn’t possible online.
Because internet users cannot try on anything because they have no physical access to the items, it’s hard to know what clothes will look like on them before they buy them.
Around 40% of online shoppers don’t feel represented by images of models, and more than 50% feel dissatisfied with an item they shopped for online because it looked different on them than expected.
Google has been working on ways to address that.
Using generative AI, Google said that the technology can take a single photo of a piece of clothing and accurately reflect how it would "drape, fold, cling, stretch, and form wrinkles and shadows" on a diverse set of actual models in various poses.
The company said that its range of selected model range in size from XXS to 4XL, and that they also represent a range of different skin tones, in addition to body shapes, ethnicities, and hair types.
This way, users should have a model to represent them on the virtual try-on.
Initially, U.S. shoppers can virtually try on women’s tops from brands across Google, including Anthropologie, Everlane, H&M and LOFT.
To do this, users can simply tap the products with the 'Try On' badge on Search, and select the model that resonates most with you.
Google said that the technology works alongside its own Shopping Graph, which according to Google, is already the world’s most comprehensive data set of products and sellers. This way, the technology can scale to more brands and items over time.
Google added that it's planning to expand the feature to also include men’s tops later this 2023.
