If - as many argue - travellers are changing the way they search for products from text to visual then this idea from Explorra could be one to follow.
The UK-based startup, which is built on the idea of compiling travel guides for users based on user preferences and recommendations from other travellers, has inked a deal with VisualDNA to provide a completely image-based search engine for users to discover fitting destinations.
The idea of using images to narrow a user's preferences is not new (Hotels.com and Lastminute.com have also used VisualDNA technology for accommodation search), but to have it as a prominent feature of a new site and with dynamic learning capability (a later version will include real-time recommendations) perhaps means such functionality is becoming the norm.
The user is asked a series of questions and are given a collection of images to select a preference, including:
- What makes a happy holiday?
- What's your favourite landscape?
- Favourite food/hotel?
- Who you are travelling with?
Once the questionnaire is complete, VisualDNA serves results from the Explorra system based on the preferences.
In addition, Explorra has developed a widget so that users can insert the result on their blogs.