Beyond scrolling: How visual search is redefining the future of retail
Despite its speed and ease of use, e-commerce has long risked losing something essential: the sense of discovery that makes shopping fun. Transactions and next-day deliveries were completed, but at the expense of inspiration? Now, as AI-powered search transforms how people find products online, retail is entering a new phase – one where shopping can start with an image, idea or feeling rather than a keyword.
By 2028, digital sales are expected to reach $8 trillion.¹ However, according to Criteo, three in four consumers still say online is the least exciting way to shop.² This tension between efficiency and inspiration is now defining the next frontier for retail. I believe the future is not just about faster payments; It’s about helping people envision the life they want — and making that vision shoppable.
As shopping trips evolve, inspiration – not information – is quickly becoming the new starting point. But this shift also raises a crucial question: If AI accelerates discovery, can it preserve what makes inspiration feel human? The challenge for platforms and retailers alike is to ensure that technology does not undermine creativity. The best is actually yet to come. Technology has the potential to amplify it.
The rise of AI-powered discoveries
Visual search is at the center of this transformation. For generations, beautiful visuals have been at the heart of shopping – an elegant window, the sparkle of new leather, the joy of stumbling upon an unforgettable dress or a book you never planned to buy. Now, that same instinct is being replicated online through AI-powered visual search. It allows people to find products based on images rather than text, bringing the physical experience of “seeing and wanting” to digital environments.
The AI technology behind visual search is increasingly able to interpret visual cues and emotional context — not just matching shapes or colors, but also understanding aesthetic intent. Pinterest Uniquely pairs AI with evolving human preference signals through a sophisticated “taste graph” that maps billions of user signals: searches, saves, installs, and clicks.³ This enables the platform to recognize not only what images contain, but also what someone hopes to create from them. This balance is important: when AI becomes too prescriptive, discovery seems general; But when guided by human taste, it sparks creativity.
Generation Z and the new shopping mentality
Nowhere is this shift more evident than with Generation Z, who are reshaping online discovery. Representing more than half of Pinterest users, they treat shopping as a form of self-expression. According to PowerReviews, they are 68% more likely than previous generations to start their shopping trip with a photo or video,⁵ demonstrating how inspiration now precedes intention.
What this generation values most: authenticity and personalization. The challenge for the industry is to satisfy this desire for expression in an authentic, digital way. Today’s retail champions do not impose taste, but rather champion unique identities, allowing individuals to browse by appearance, body type or style. They’re using AI to celebrate differences, not just to push products. For Gen Z in particular, there is little patience for seemingly intrusive algorithms. The opportunity and risk lie in using AI to expand possibilities, not narrow them. Customizable wish lists, personal filters, and mood boards aren’t just features — they help every shopper see and explore their own preferences.
As the line between inspiration and intent blurs, retailers are rethinking how they connect emotionally with consumers. In visual-first environments, brands no longer have to choose between storytelling and sales – both can happen simultaneously. When discovery feels organic and relevant, even promoted content can serve as inspiration, not interruption.
The next chapter of retail
Shopping began as a sensory experience, about color, texture and imagination. Now, technology has the opportunity to replicate the magic online. On platforms, where people arrive with an open mind and creative intent, AI-driven visual search turns the text bar into a digital shop window for exploration. We are on the cusp of the next evolution of retail, fusing possibility with practicality, fusing the scale of e-commerce with the emotion of visual discovery. I’m excited about that.
The high street has set the standard for immersive shopping, with spaces like Selfridges in London or Le Bon Marché in Paris turning retail into theatre. Today, technology provides the opportunity to reimagine and redefine this sense of wonder for the digital age. The key to success is whether AI is able to preserve the emotional nuances of discovery – the spark of seeing something new and feeling understood – versus reducing inspiration to a set of expectations. The future of retail belongs to those who can unite inspiration and intent through visual search, helping shoppers not only find what they want, but more importantly imagine what is possible.
Footnotes – all available to the public
1 – Shopify (October 2024), Global e-commerce sales growth report
2 – Criteo & Harvard Public Relations (February 2025), “Spark of Discovery: Reigniting the Passion of E-CommerceThe study was conducted among 6,000 consumers and 600 brand leaders in six markets (UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea).
3 – Pinterest Q3 Earnings Report, Global 2024
4 – Pinterest Q2 Earnings Report, Global 20255 – Power Review (2024)”Consumers’ increasing reliance on visual content“
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com reviews are solely those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs luck.
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