AI-augmented image searching has been included in the latest update to the Argos app for smartphones powered by iOS, according to Internet Retailing.

This new feature will enable customers to snap a picture of a product they see in the wild and then use the app to automatically search for this item based on nothing more than the image. By eliminating the need for keyword-based searching, it will not matter if the user lacks access to the name of a given product.

Thanks to the integration of artificial intelligence with this visual search capability, the service should become more accurate over time, learning and evolving automatically rather than having to be manually programmed to achieve improvements.

Argos is making headway in its efforts to integrate more digital services alongside its store-based retail set-up. It has been working to provide safe shopping online to consumers from across the UK for years, but with the rise of mobile shopping it is clear that turning its attention to how well its app performs is another important manoeuvre.

Company spokesperson Mark Steel said that part of the reason for pursuing visual search as an option is that social media now plays a major role in determining how people find products. Since seeing pictures of items on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter is helping with discoveries, it makes sense to take this into account and accommodate new consumer habits.

Steel also said that consumers were not just looking to find specific products but might want to identify multiple objects within a whole room that is showcased on their social feeds. AI is the best way to tackle such significant challenges as this, with the lik