Macy's Launch iOS App Incorporating Mobile Image Recognition Powered by Cortexica

LONDON, November 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Macy's launched their new iOS App for the holidays incorporating image recognition and visual search software findSimilar™ powered by Cortexica.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141118/717391 )

Consumers are able to easily search through thousands of inventory items by simply using a picture snapped from their iPhone to find similar products available at Macys.com.

The photo search app was designed in the Macy's Idea Labs in San Francisco, and the software for the image recognition was developed and supplied by Cortexica - the world leaders in mobile image recognition.
The image search capability is a great example of how Macy's is taking omni-channel to the next level, and their commitment to operating at the forefront of consumer innovation.

Macy's is the latest retailer to incorporate Cortexica's findSimilar™ technology to let their users upload wild images and find similar products on macys.com via their mobile app and desktop. App users are able to snap a photo of an item using their smartphones while web users can upload any image, whether from their desktop or anywhere on the web, find similar items, and then purchase immediately. By making any image instantly "shopable", Macy's is taking impulse buying to new heights.

Macy's recognized the importance of reducing the number of clicks between inspiration and purchase and chose Cortexica's visual search technology findSimilar™ to make this possible. Macy's is the first US retailer using this technology across multiple fashion categories as the limitations of current text-based searching drives developments within image recognition.

The Macy's Idea Labs Team developed the app, and Steve Semenzato, Co-Founder of Cortexica said, "When it came to choosing a technology partner for the image recognition, Cortexica was chosen based on the accuracy of the results that our Visual Cortexica also provides the visual search behind the Style Thief application, which was recently launched by Kate Bosworth, and they are recognized as the industry leader in fashion image recognition.

By introducing the image-recognition shopping app, Macy's is reacting to the role that mobile devices play in how consumers search for, and purchase items of interest. Kent Anderson, president of Macys.com explains the photo search application: "When our customers see a look that they like on friends or on a celebrity, they can directly shop for corresponding products from macys.com and buy them without a lengthy search."

Cortexica Vision Systems Ltd
Bessemer Building, South Kensington
London SW7 2AZ
+44(0)203-763-9458
http://www.cortexica.com

Josie Fear
+44(0)203-763-9458

SOURCE Cortexica