Fashion marketplace Poshmark has announced a new tool that lets shoppers search for products using just a photo.
“Posh Lens” draws on AI image search technology from Naver Corp., the Korea-based internet conglomerate that completed the acquisition of Poshmark early this year.
The new feature finds items that match or significantly resemble an uploaded image in the women’s and men’s clothing, shoes and bags categories, said Naver, announcing the launch. Shoppers will not have to know the name of the product they are seeking.
Currently available only in the U.S., Poshmark plans to roll it out to additional markets in the future.
Naver hopes it will boost growth opportunities for sellers as a greater range of products will be displayed in the search results.
Using Naver’s AI image search (vision) technology, which supports the conglomerate’s “Smart Lens,” the move marks the first instance of Poshmark integrating Naver’s technology into a new feature.
“Starting with ‘Posh Lens’, both companies aim to further enhance the synergy between Naver’s technology and Poshmark’s community, ultimately securing the leadership in the global c-to-c market by delivering a unique user experience,” said Naver.
“The launch of Posh Lens is just the beginning of how we are working with Naver to deliver new innovation to the Poshmark community,” added Poshmark CEO Manish Chandra.
“Our sellers have curated an extensive and unique catalog of merchandise available for sale, and Posh Lens offers shoppers the ability to turn their inspiration into reality and track down special pieces with a single photo.”
The new feature follows the April launch of “Posh Shows,” a live commerce feature, on the next phase of which Poshmark plans to collaborate with Naver.
“These innovations are giving consumers exciting new ways to search, shop and find style inspiration on Poshmark,” added Chandra.
Naver runs sneaker marketplace Kream in South Korea, in addition to Vintage City, an app for used clothing in Japan. The company is also growing in Europe through its investment in luxury used-fashion marketplace Vestiaire Collective.
Poshmark aims to combine “the human connection of physical shopping with the scale, ease, and selection benefits of e-commerce.” The site encourages users to connect through social network-style features.
It is active the U.S., Canada, Australia, and India. With more than 80 million registered users to date, the California-based marketplace competes against sites including The RealReal, ThredUp, Grailed and Depop. It went public in January 2021.