You think you know your store's search is "good enough" until Black Friday traffic doubles, shoppers paste a photo from Instagram, and your keyword engine returns 0 results. Working across different tech companies, I have seen teams panic when synonyms, color shades, and long natural-language queries break brittle search stacks. Three technical gaps drive most failures: no vector index tuned for product data, missing image embeddings for style and color, and limited signals like click-through or add-to-cart for re-ranking. AI investment is exploding, with organizations projected to spend $235 billion on AI in 2024 and more than $630 billion by 2028, according to IDC's global AI spending outlook.
The search and product discovery category has matured fast, with Gartner publishing its first Magic Quadrant for the space on May 13, 2024, validating buyer demand and vendor diversity (Gartner overview). Retail is a leading adopter of AI, with IDC estimating around $25 billion in retail AI spend in 2024, a backdrop for rapid adoption of visual and multimodal discovery (IDC industry outlook).
ViSenze Multi-Search and Recommendations
Multimodal product discovery that combines text, image, and natural-language search with recommendations. Shopify app is available and focused on fashion, home, and adjacent categories.
- Best for: Shopify brands that want visual and text search plus "similar" and "shop the look" recommendations without heavy engineering.
- Key Features: Text and image search, visually similar and complementary recommendations, dynamic re-ranking, merchandising rules, and analytics, per ViSenze's app listing on the Shopify App Store.
- Why we like it: The multi-search flow reduces friction for shoppers who arrive with screenshots or vague descriptions, and the recommendation widgets are practical for boosting AOV on PDPs.
- Notable Limitations: Recent user feedback flags catalog sync delays and slow support on Shopify, and the company was acquired by Rezolve Ai on August 7, 2025, so roadmaps and branding may evolve. Verify long-term support commitments if you are mid-migration.
- Pricing: Free to install on Shopify with a trial, paid plans thereafter, per the Shopify App Store. Pricing details beyond "free to install" are not consistently published, contact vendor.
Pricing sources: Shopify App Store listing and reviews. Acquisition confirmation: SEC filing exhibit for Rezolve Ai and a university news post.
Zenor.ai
A multimodal AI shopping assistant for Shopify that supports voice, photo, and chat-based product search with virtual try-on claims. Designed for quick install and language coverage.
- Best for: Small to midsize Shopify stores that want voice and photo search without building custom AI agents.
- Key Features: 24/7 AI support via chat, voice, video, and image, instant product matching from the catalog, virtual try-on previews, real-time order updates, and upsell recommendations, per the Shopify App Store.
- Why we like it: Voice, photo, and chat in one assistant is a useful mobile-first pattern, especially for boutique catalogs where shoppers want to "show and tell."
- Notable Limitations: New app with very few public reviews and limited third-party references, so enterprise buyers should validate scale and SLAs. Early-stage documentation and community signals are still thin.
- Pricing: Free plan available, paid tiers at $20, $60, and $200 per month with conversation limits, per the Shopify App Store.
Pricing and features source: Shopify App Store listing and reviews. Directory signal: AppNavigator snapshot.
Hoppn Infinite Color Search
Patented color-wheel search that lets shoppers select exact shades, then ranks products by perceptual color proximity. A no-code Shopify app with basic analytics.
- Best for: Color-sensitive catalogs like fashion, home decor, art, and materials where shoppers shop by palette, not keywords.
- Key Features: Single and multi-color search from a visual color wheel, AI color sampling from product images, sorting by visual proximity, and usage analytics, per the Shopify App Store and product announcements.
- Why we like it: Color intent is underserved by text search. Hoppn's "sort by closeness" model keeps results discoverable instead of filtering to zero.
- Notable Limitations: Small install base with limited third-party reviews. The color overlay can conflict with some Shopify widgets, and results depend on image quality and consistent product photography.
- Pricing: Pro plan listed at $15 per month plus $2 per 1,000 store sessions with unlimited searches, per the Shopify App Store. A free plan exists with limited functionality.
Pricing and features sources: Shopify App Store listing, reviews, and a third-party release on PRLog. Known conflicts documented in the vendor help center are summarized here for planning, see this note on widget overlap issues.
Marqo Multimodal Search
Vector-based multimodal search engine connecting text, images, and other inputs, with open source and a managed cloud. Suitable for deeper control over ranking, models, and infrastructure.
- Best for: Teams that want full-stack vector search with image and text embeddings, model choice, and Shopify or headless integrations.
- Key Features: Multimodal semantic search, image-to-text and text-to-image retrieval, hybrid vector and lexical search, re-ranking, and Shopify integration guides. AWS Marketplace offers commercial plans.
- Why we like it: You can start with the managed cloud, then graduate to self-hosting or fine-tuning models as your catalog and query volumes grow.
- Notable Limitations: Image-heavy workloads benefit from GPU inference which raises costs, and tuning HNSW, filters, and fine-tunes requires engineering time. Shopify distribution may require a custom app flow.
- Pricing: Managed cloud pricing is contract-based on AWS Marketplace, with per-resource monthly costs published. Open source is available for self-hosting.
Pricing and validation sources: AWS Marketplace listing, background on funding and positioning from TechCrunch and Capital Brief. Shopify integration guidance is documented in public docs, but enterprise buyers should request references.
Multimodal Search Tools Comparison
| Tool | Best For | Pricing Model | Free Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| ViSenze Multi-Search | Shopify brands needing visual plus text search and recommendations quickly | App subscription, details not fully public | Free to install, trial on Shopify |
| Zenor.ai | SMB Shopify stores adding voice, photo, and chat search | App tiers by conversation volume | Yes |
| Hoppn Infinite Color Search | Color-driven discovery in fashion, decor, art | App fee plus usage by sessions | Limited free plan |
| Marqo Multimodal Search | Engineering teams needing controllable vector search | AWS Marketplace contracts or self-host | Open source available |
Key Features at a Glance
| Tool | Text + Image Search | Voice Search | Color-Wheel Search | Integration Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ViSenze | Yes | No | No | Low for Shopify, higher for non-Shopify |
| Zenor.ai | Yes | Yes | No | Low for Shopify |
| Hoppn | No | No | Yes | Low for Shopify, modest theme work |
| Marqo | Yes | No | Possible via custom UX | Medium, requires engineering for tuning |
Strategic Decision Framework
| Critical Question | Why It Matters | What to Evaluate | Red Flags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do shoppers arrive with photos, palettes, or natural phrases? | Determines modality priority | Share of image uploads, color queries, long queries | Over-reliance on exact match keywords |
| Can your team run vector infra? | Impacts build-vs-buy | GPU needs, HNSW params, observability | Hidden GPU costs, no latency SLOs |
| How will merchandising control ranking? | Affects margin and brand curation | Boost rules, pinning, sponsor tags | Black-box ranking with no overrides |
| What is your Shopify or Adobe Commerce path? | Installation speed and support | Public app vs custom app, webhooks, SLAs | Unclear integration guides, few references |
Pricing & Capabilities Overview
| Organization Size | Recommended Setup | Monthly Cost | Annual Investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Startup Shopify brand | Hoppn for color, Zenor free tier to test voice/photo | Hoppn Pro from $15 + usage, Zenor Free | ~$180 plus usage |
| Growth DTC on Shopify | ViSenze trial for visual + recs, Hoppn for color niche | ViSenze paid plan not publicly listed, Hoppn Pro $15 + usage | Contact ViSenze for quote |
| Mid-market headless | Marqo managed on AWS Marketplace, pilot then fine-tune | Contracted per shards, replicas, inference nodes | See AWS Marketplace pricing schedule |
| Enterprise multi-region | Marqo self-hosted or managed with SLAs, complement with color search widget for campaigns | Custom | Custom |
Note: Where pricing is not publicly available, request a quote or use marketplace calculators. For Marqo, AWS Marketplace publishes contract dimensions and monthly costs. For Hoppn and Zenor, plans are shown on the Shopify App Store. ViSenze is free to install with a trial on Shopify, details via its app page.
Problems & Solutions
-
Problem: Shoppers paste screenshots or photos, keyword search fails, bounce rates climb.
Solution: ViSenze's multi-search supports image upload and similar-items matching with merchandising and analytics, confirmed in the Shopify App Store listing. Pairing it with recommendation widgets helps lift PDP engagement and AOV, which aligns with the broader "search and product discovery" capabilities cited in the 2024 Gartner Market Overview. Validate support responsiveness given mixed Shopify reviews, and factor in Rezolve Ai's recent acquisition for roadmap planning, which is documented in SEC filings. -
Problem: Mobile users want to "ask" or speak their intent, not type, leading to short queries and poor recall.
Solution: Zenor.ai adds voice and chat discovery alongside photo search in a single assistant, with published pricing tiers for predictable trials. Early reviews indicate ease of setup, but low review count means you should test on your traffic and set clear SLAs, a common buyer due diligence step per Forrester's commerce search guidance (report summary). -
Problem: Shoppers cannot name exact shades, and color filters hide items or collapse to 0 results.
Solution: Hoppn's Infinite Color Search ranks products by perceptual color distance and supports multi-color queries, which is well documented in its Shopify App Store page and third-party release on PRLog. Plan for known overlay conflicts with some widgets, noted in Hoppn's public help center article summarized above. -
Problem: You need a controllable vector stack for text and image with ranking knobs and potential fine-tuning.
Solution: Marqo provides multimodal search with managed cloud and open-source paths, covered by independent press like TechCrunch. Commercial pricing and deployment paths are listed on AWS Marketplace. Engineering teams can iterate on HNSW parameters and hybrid search per public docs, which is important for complex catalogs.
The Bottom Line on Multimodal Search
Modern ecommerce search fails when it treats shopping intent as text only. Customers browse with photos, colors, vague phrases, and partial ideas, especially on mobile. The teams that win do not chase one “AI search” feature. They match discovery tools to how customers actually shop.
If you want the fastest results on Shopify, start with focused apps. Hoppn works when color intent drives decisions. Zenor helps when voice and photo inputs dominate mobile traffic. ViSenze fits brands that want visual search plus recommendations without building infrastructure, but post-acquisition roadmap clarity should be part of your diligence. If you need full control over ranking, embeddings, and future modalities, Marqo gives engineering teams a real vector stack, with costs and complexity that must be planned upfront.
The category is no longer experimental. Gartner’s Magic Quadrant confirms search and product discovery as a standalone market, and IDC’s AI spending forecasts show budgets are already shifting. The practical move is to pilot one modality at a time, measure zero-result searches, search-to-cart conversion, and AOV lift, then scale only what proves it can handle peak traffic without breaking relevance.
