In this sector, evolution and change go hand in hand: good today will no longer have value tomorrow or at least will have less value. That’s why you can never “rest” mentally for those in the world of online business.

Evolution – understood in a comprehensive sense of the term – derives from the knowledge of one’s abilities and the need to expand them to be more helpful. In recent years, it is a concept that has been greatly influenced by digital, as none of us today can survive without technology.

We have invented tools that help us and make life easier. Home automation or homes equipped with automation systems that memorize your daily actions – such as making coffee, for example – are becoming more and more popular. Haven’t you ever dreamed of coming home in the evening and finding the oven on, ready to reheat your dinner, for example?

Today you can do it. All this once seemed like pure science fiction, but today it is reality, and we have adapted very well to live it in our everyday life.

Similarly, our reasoning has become more passive on the one hand but faster on the other. But in reality, this is a process that has already seen its evolution for some years.

Do you remember when the App was developed a few years ago to recognize a song on the radio?

By simply putting your mobile phone on the radio today, it is possible to find out the song’s title. But, which App are we talking about?

Shazam.

“Find out the title of any song in seconds.”

That’s is the payoff. The payoff is the phrase that accompanies the brand in all its expressions. It often pairs with the logo. A payoff is accompanying the definition of the App. In a nutshell, it explains how it can be helpful to you.

If we wanted to create a payoff for Google Lens, we would say:

All you need to know in one click

Here, the concept of Google Lens is roughly similar to that of Shazam. It indeed starts from the same need, but the goal is different, especially if we relate it to the world of e-commerce. While Shazam is purely for play and entertainment, Google Lens can change offline and online interactions.

The Topic of This Post

• 1 Google Lens: what it is and what it is for
• 2 Google Lens and e-commerce: one of the first examples of how offline connects to online in just a few seconds

Google Lens: what it is and what it is for

 

 

It is also available on the Play Store and belongs to the Google Assistant family. 

If you already use Google Assistant, basically all you need to do is ask Google to activate Google lens.

• Open the camera;
• You point to the object you are interested in – any object or product;
• The App recognizes the object or product and tells you what it is.

This application represents a real turning point for those who will start using it. Imagine that you are walking around a city you do not know, and you do not have a tour guide, etc. In practice, if you activate Google Lens and point, for example, the camera on a structure or a drink or a dish you are about to taste, thanks to that App, you will know all the related information.

You will be able to know which street you are on quickly and without even having to consult Maps, if not at a later time when you want directions.

Google Lens is a visual analysis service, obviously supported by artificial intelligence, capable of obtaining all the information you want from the surrounding environment.

Having made an overview of what this application can do in general, let’s analyze what it can do for e-commerce.

Google Lens and e-commerce: one of the first examples of how offline connects to online in just a few seconds

 

In the previous article, I discussed the concept of perfect integration between online and offline, and I gave two examples concerning large American distribution chains, which, thanks to experiments, have changed their way of doing business.

Google Lens is the first example to arrive finally, which many still don’t know and will ultimately evolve the purchase concept.

As always, I prefer to explain its potential to you by appealing to examples, so here is one:

You are on the street, you walk without overthinking about what you see in the windows, but at a certain point, something strikes your attention: a beautiful pair of shoes that, however, have a price. Price is the amount of money required for a product or service. In a broad sense, the price is the sum of all disproportionate.

There and then, you are tempted to buy them, but in reality, you know that if you sit down for a moment at a coffee table, you can find that pair of shoes for a much cheaper price on an online store.

Problem: the shoes of which brand they are not explicit in the window, and you cannot go in and try them on and then not buy them. Wouldn’t it be nice to peek at the brand of shoes and then go and buy them on Zalando?

You have two solutions :

• You enter the store and try on other shoes in an attempt to understand the brand. The brand is an identification symbol, trademark, logo, name, word, and phrase that companies use to distinguish their product from others. A combination of those you want;
• Consult Google Lens and find out in a few seconds which brand they belong to, and above all, where you can buy them at a lower price.

Which option do you choose? I imagine the second. For sure, when the knowledge of Google Lens reaches retailers, it will be forbidden to take pictures at the windows, so I suggest you immediately learn a way to use the application “smartly.”

Google Lens is a kind of virtual, competent support that facilitates the purchase process for many people. So not only do you have information about the product, but you also know where to buy it.

Other ways in which Google Lens can be used concerns the intelligent text selection function, i.e., a QCR scanner that recognizes framed text via your device’s camera and gives you the ability to digitize text, use within a document, or get it translated by the translate.

From a future perspective, I can say that the world of e-commerce will derive essential benefits from an application like this.

On the other hand, if we wanted to expand the overview, think for a moment what this App could mean for all those who recognize a face from a distance but do not remember its name. Imagine if Google Lens also turned on facial recognition and was able to tell you the person’s first and last name. Who knows what might happen.

Another possibility could be to get information on a dress that our table neighbor is wearing at the restaurant, simply by framing it. Again, of course, not very nice and above all not very correct, but I’m sure many will think it would be a great way to satisfy our curiosity.

It’s a little scary if you think about it, but for sure, an increasingly intelligent future is upon us with its digital and technological innovations.