The Search That Google Can't Do

A while ago, I wrote about how vertical search engines would have a really hard time fighting Google.  The crux of the argument went as follows:  new search engines pitch better algorithms for relevancy, but since the marginal cost of an additional search on Google is zero, users manually bring that relevancy by doing more searches with longer keywords.  So far I haven't seen one that bucks the trend, until Riya's new product www.like.com launched yesterday. 

Visual search, is something where users can't manually add relevancy.  When you see a picture of a handbag you like, you cannot spell out what you like about it easily.  Try putting "A white handbag with a long handle and zipper and buckle that's big and shiny" in Google and see what you get here.  It's very hard with Google, but easy with Like.

You can visually select images and parts of images as the "keyword" to find products like it.  Every woman I've shown this to has reacted with "holy sh..."  This is a product for them.  It's not for men.  Most men can indeed spell out what they want in clothing; "pants", "shirts", "shoes" are all that's needed.  I highly recommend trying out www.like.com.  This is the kind of innovation that keeps silicon valley going.  Congrats, Munjal, Burak, Azhar and team.

Comments

[Laurie Abascal]

As a 25 year old female here is my perspective on like.com:

I really enjoy this website, in fact I find it addicting. I really enjoy the color feature of the website. It is easy to use and quick to respond. I also like the box feature. It is convenient to pick a part of an item and then continue to narrow your search by color and price range.
Personally there are a few things I would like to see modified/added to the website.
First it would be nice to have a description of fabric, etc of the item before going to the website link.
A check list would also be a nice feature, where you can check off multiple items and then compare them later. The idea is a little different from the current search history feature already on the website.
I would also like more pictures of celebrities to choose from and also have the option of isolating any part of the outfit/picture instead of it being predetermined.
My last suggestion is to have a feature that allows you to sort items by price after you determine you price range.
Overall, I am very excited to use like.com in the future and have already passed on the link to several friends.

[Emre Sokullu]

Today I made a small like.com test on 2 young - fashionable ladies who are staying in the same hotel with me. Was a good way to approach them but that's not the issue. They've found the idea very interesting and entered the URL to try it immediately.. Then I stepped back and left them alone to better observe their behaviors. I was hoping them to find it very useful and spend some time on the site because they were supposed to be in the target audience of Like. But I became disappointed to see them leaving the site after the first search and a short scroll down.

When I asked why they did so, they thought a short while and told that they would never buy a bag after a celebrity and that this site is more for old and very rich women.. I didn't argue with them and said OK.

I think that's also because these ladies were not American but Russian, the demographics really matters here. They were quite fashionable and "kokosh" (I dunno this word in English :)) though.

I think this idea would make more sense well integrated into current shopping sites like eBay, Amazon than being an independent entity. I'm sure Riya guys already have plans to make deals with these companies. And maybe similar observations may push them to rethink over their product marketing strategy; maybe celebrities like Paris Hilton on the frontpage is irritant for some people.

By the way, I know most of the people behind Riya and congratulate all of them; these were just my observations, I tested the product much before its official release and liked it very very much. After all, their innovative ideas, technology and scalability are great!