Amazon wants to turn your photo library into an online marketplace
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- Amazon Photos has a new feature that turns your photo library into an online marketplace.
- Users can now search for products on Amazon using photos stored in their Amazon Photos app.
- The new feature uses image recognition technology to find similar products sold on Amazon.
Amazon is now setting up shop in users' photo libraries.
Panos Panay, senior vice president of Amazon's Devices and Services division, announced an update to Amazon Photos allowing users to "search your photo library to find similar products on Amazon."
"Spot something you loved at a friend's house or a toy your kid was obsessed with?" he wrote in an X post on Friday. "Just search your photos and we'll surface relevant items for you."
Panay posted a 30-second video promoting the update, which uses image recognition technology to analyze users' photos, identify potential products, and provide links to purchase similar items on Amazon.
"You can use the Amazon Photos app to shop for products recognized in your photos," according to Amazon's customer service webpage. "When viewing individual photos, select the Lens icon to explore products in the Amazon retail app or website."
Representatives for Amazon did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
The photo app update is yet another way Amazon — founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos — is trying to entice shoppers.
In February, BI reported that Amazon is testing a program that pays media companies to drive traffic to the retail e-commerce platform through product recommendations. Publishers would get paid even if readers don't purchase the product.
The feature comes just in time for Amazon's 2025 Big Spring Sale, which runs from March 25 to March 31. Shoppers can snag deals across several Amazon categories, from electronics to household products.