FB to launch 'visual search' feature for Instagram shopping

San Francisco: Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that Facebook is currently working on developing visual search functionality on Instagram which the company plans to later extend to WhatsApp and Marketplace.

While speaking in a live audio room on Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg said the company is in the early stages of building camera-based search tools.

The feature would be similar to the ones offered by Snapchat and Pinterest, which have both invested heavily into visual search, Engadget reported.

Zuckerberg outlined two potential use cases for the technology on Instagram. When browsing Instagram, visual search could surface similar products available elsewhere in the app, or it could allow users to find products using their cameras or images from their camera roll, the report said.

"When you find something you will be able to tap on it and find similar products that people across all of our shops are selling the moment that you see something that you like," Zuckerberg said.

"We think that visual search is going to be really helpful in making photos shoppable Instagram overall," he added.

In addition to visual search for Instagram, Zuckerberg also announced that Facebook Shops will soon be arriving on Marketplace and WhatsApp.

"New commerce features coming to support businesses and make shopping easier -- Shops on WhatsApp and Marketplace, Instagram Visual Search and Shops Ads. More detail in the comments," Zuckerberg wrote on a Facebook post.

Facebook has already been integrating product catalogs into WhatsApp chats, but now businesses will be able to create storefronts for the chat app.

The company is also working on "Shops ads" that would allow businesses to target ads based on "people's individual shopping preferences".

Eventually, Facebook could further personalise these ads with special offers or promotions, Zuckerberg said.