Do you shop through GOOGLE? Chances are you’ve typed into the search bar what you are looking for. But have you tried shopping by adding a specific image of what you are after instead ? I was shown how to do this late last year, and now before I buy anything online I use ”shopping through the google lens” as a research tool. I use it to see if there are similar items are out there on line, to see whose copying what and of course price comparison! It’s taken a while for me to share this SHOPPING HACK as it’s NOT the most ethical way to purchase. But when I did in fact get ”influenced” by this faux leather leopard coat recently, I thought, in order to remain authentic I would share. Plus, I believe that as consumers we need to SHOP SMART, so we can be as savvy as we can about what and how we purchase. Some may love this hack, some may hate it. Regardless, I didn’t create it and it’s savvy. And please, no judging comments on my FF purchase, I may be a mindful shopper, but I never said I was perfect.

I’m not particularly techie, so I’m going to go through, step by step how I “shopped it through the google lens” (and for those much better at technology than me, apologies for the basics in advance 😉).

First, go to the App Store and download the GOOGLE APP.

Then open the App (press on it) and you will see this page.

Pressing on the camera button will open up your photos, so you can either select one from your screenshots, images ….or… you can also take a photo here of what’s in front of you should you be in a shop (but forget about that last bit for this exercise… and it may be a tad rude doing it in front of the salesperson). I’m going to insert the circled image.

And when you do press on the image, it opens it up in Visual Matches in ”Search”. If you slide the words to the left, you will find the ”Shopping” option…

Then you can swipe up and look at the options. For what I was looking for, the difference in price was crazy. $327 AUD (minus 10% for the influencer’s discount) plus shipping from CANADA or $86 AUD plus shipping from CHINA. And it looks like exactly the same coat. I’m unsure as to whether the fast fashion Chinese Brand copied it, or whether the Canadian Brand bought from a Chinese supplier. But given neither of the two sites I visited had any details on the fabric or where it was made, the latter seems most likely…if so, it’s really just a piece of Fast fashion 🤔 albeit a WOW piece in my eyes (on screen anyway) 🤩

The problem I have buying from the cheaper brand like this, apart from the obvious, is that you can’t try before you buy, so you have no idea if what you will get matches the image. For example, the item description said snakeskin, but the image is clearly a leopard 🤷🏼‍♀️ Delivery times may also differ significantly, since the Chinese brands may not have it made and wait until they get a certain number of orders before they bulk sew. And sometimes they cancel your order as they didn’t get enough interest and can’t fulfil it. It’s how they roll… 😏 But of course, if you pay more by opting for the other brand, this shouldn’t happen.

However, a couple of years ago, I did buy a similar style PU trench in a snakeskin from a small local boutique. You can see it below… and please excuse the poor styling, this was at the beginning of my IG style journey (I like to think I’ve come a long way since then 😉) After “shopping through the google lens” I’ve found it’s also available this way. I can imagine that the above leopard would be of similar quality in it’s fabric, stitching and size. I’ll let you know IF it ever arrives 😂 and if you like “leopard” 🐆 watch out for next week’s SIGNATURE STYLE blogpost 😉

Sarah x