JCPenney Integrates Slyce Technology Into Mobile Shopping Experience
By Megan Zielinski, contributing writer
In partnership with Slyce, JCPenney is incorporating visual search technology into the mobile shopping experience, making it easier and enjoyable for customers to shop right from the palm of their hands. Effective last month, JCPenney signed a three-year agreement with the leading visual search technology company.
As more customers begin to browsing and purchase items from their handheld devices, JCPenney is harnessing the power of product recognition technology provided by Slyce. Referred to as the “Holy Grail” for the retail industry, the platform enables customers to find relatable products in JCPenney’s inventory when compared with photos taken of apparel and accessories they find inspiring. Whether it’s a picture taken of a shirt that a friend is wearing or a picture that is found on social media sites, the platform will immediately find a similar match that is available through JCPenney. Customers are linked directly to the product page on the JCPenney website for an easy, effortless purchasing process. The advanced image recognition technology has been strategically designed to find exact matching products for every search. In just a matter of seconds, users can go from saying “I want that” to “it’s mine.”
“The key benefit of the Slyce technology, and why it’s being so well received in the market, is it allows for the one click identification of products that are not only inside of the package but for those products that are unpackaged such as a women’s handbag, dress or home décor,” says Mark Elfenbein, Slyce CEO.
Photos of products found and purchased with use of Slyce technology will also be featured on JCPenney’s social media sites with the inclusion of hashtags along with customer’s photos, creating an engaging “LookBook” for followers to view and browse for existing items. The software will automatically evaluate and tag photos to be shared on social pages including JCPenney’s Facebook and Instagram page.
Slyce currently works with six out of the top twenty U.S. retailers and growing, such as Neiman Marcus and Tilly’s. Wanda Gierhart, CMO of Neiman Marcus stated that the accuracy of Slyce technology finding relatable matches for real-time products to their products is close to 95 percent, if not even better. “It works extremely well. I think visual search will revolutionize the industry and how search in general works for lots of different businesses.”
With help from Slyce, JCPenney is making the moment of discovery a moment of connection with their customers. Elfenbein stated "We are very excited to be deploying our technology with JCPenney.”