Israeli Startup Redefines Online Shopping

Shopping on the internet has become a standard practice in recent times, yet for many the feeling of being in a store, seeing the quality of a garment and trying it on cannot be equaled. Now an Israeli start up says it has found a way to dramatically improve your online-shopping experience.

SuperFish, now based in Silicon Valley,  plans on changing the way we shop online with the power of choice. Superfish has created a visual search engine called “Window Shopper” which essentially compares all similar looking fashion items from a large network of websites in order to make comparisons of look, price, and quality. For example, if you find a red-colored polo shirt you like, Window Shopper can find similar options in order for you to make the most well-informed purchasing choice.

What “Window Shopper” adds to the table is the ability to search through images rather than words. When words don’t describe what you are looking for, Superfish’s program uses complex algorithms that scan any online product for similar looking items and present their findings from across hundreds of online stores.

According to SuperFish, “there’s no more jumping around from site to site to compare prices or to find what you want.”

The program works as an add-on to an Internet browser. When in use, a small eye will appear next to any given product image. Clicking on the eye will then send every possible alternative across the Internet into one screen for customizable comparisons.

Some shoppers, however, don’t just want to view items that look identical but want to see a more diverse array of fashion products. In that case, Window Shopping also aims to provide the option of displaying products slightly different from the original search product.

The Window Shopper program is currently supported by both Mac and Windows systems if used on either Firefox or Internet Explorer browsers.

Window Shopper deals primarily with online fashion shopping, but the company plans on extending its product into other markets. And while the Superfish server only works within the US market, it also plans on globalizing its searches in the future – eventually making any kind of product in any country searchable.

The company was funded by venture investors Draper Fish Jurvetson and its affiliate Tamir Fishman – making the company a hot bid in the start up world. As both names contain the word “fish”, one can understand why the company is named SuperFish.