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United States I tried Google's new swiping tool for clothes, shoes
I tried Google's new feature. It's basically a dating app for finding clothes and shoes.
- Google's new shopping tool lets you swipe left or right on clothing.
- After you swipe right a few times, Google will give you recommendations based on your preferences.
- The feature is part of several new updates to improve the shopping experience.
Since moving to New York a year and a half ago, I've had to seriously curb my shopping habits.
But I still spend over an hour each week searching for new trends on Pinterest, browsing new collections at my favorite fashion retailers, and checking whether old items are marked down.
So when I heard about Google's new shopping feature that lets you swipe left or right on clothing, I was intrigued. I spend a lot of time searching through sites of individual brands, so it would be useful to have a more centralized source of personalized results.
The update started rolling out March 27 and you may need to adjust your phone settings to get it.
You'll first want to make sure you're signed in and your personalization controls are turned on. Then you'll want to make sure web & app activity and personal results are on.
The feature so far works for users in the US on mobile browsers and the Google app. The company hasn't announced when it's planning to roll it out in other countries.
You can start with a Google search of a product category like "maxi dress," "straw bag," or "workout pants"
You'll want to scroll further down the page, past features like "shop the look." Eventually, you'll come across "style recommendations."
When you search a category, you can adjust the preferences to narrow your search, but I found that doing so might get rid of the recommendation feature.
A Google spokesperson said the feature serves as an additional tool "for folks who haven't found quite what they're looking for."
Next, you can select your favorite brands to get more accurate search results
Before you get to style recommendations, you can select your favorite brands from a list of around 30 options. I found that the brands change when you search different items.
For example, when I searched workout attire, I had the option to select several athletic brands. But when I looked up dresses, those were replaced by more dressy or everyday clothing brands.
Once you select the brands you like, you'll see options from them right away. It will also inform the types of brands you see in your recommended results after you swipe.
You can swipe left or right as if you're on a dating app
Once you get to the style recommendations section, you can rate options with a thumbs up or thumbs down, or a swipe right or left.
It's a fun feature and made my online shopping experience feel more interactive.
After a couple of likes, it will come up with a bunch of styles that match your preferences
After you share your style preferences, you'll get instant results. You can also rate more items to add more styles if you don't feel like you have enough that you like.
The tool also shows you results in future Google visits under "style picks for you."
It's not like Pinterest, where you can find inspiration for entire looks and create an entire aesthetic. But if you're searching broadly and don't know exactly what's out there, it can help guide you in a direction that matches up with what the brands you like have to offer.
You can review your shopping preferences in the settings and edit your likes
Unlike a dating app, if you make a mistake with one of your swipes, you can easily fix it by managing your preferences.
Tap the three dots on the right of the "get style recommendations" section, go to "edit shopping preferences," and deselect any of the options you changed your mind about.
The rating feature is one of several that Google recently added to improve the shopping experience
Google has recently made several changes to its search results and shopping experience.
"We want you to discover more of the products you'll love — and with 45 billion product offers in Google's Shopping Graph, we're building more tools to make that possible," Google's vice president of consumer shopping, Sean Scott, told BI.
Last year, Google launched Virtual Try On, which lets you see clothes on a wide range of skin tones and body types.
The virtual try-on tool is available widely by clicking the "try-on" icon in Search results — but so far it's only available for men's or women's tops.
The feature shows you how clothes look on a variety of body and skin types using real models. You can select a model ranging in sizes XXS-4XL and see how it would look on different models ranging in shape, ethnicity, and hair type.
Google lets you shop for exactly what's on your mind with an AI image generation tool that makes it easier to find the right product for you
Gen AI image generation is available to anyone in the US who has opted into Search Generative Experience within Search Labs. It connects image generation technology with over 45 billion listings to help you visualize the style you have in mind.
You can try it out by looking up a specific style like and clicking "generate images." You'll then see AI generated results that match your description, and you can click one of them to get available items that match that style.
My account didn't have access to the tool, but it's an interesting concept that I'd like to experiment with in the future.
On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.
