DIGITAL INNOVATION IN THE BUILDING MATERIALS TRADE: AI VISUAL SEARCH FOR DEUTSCHLAND

From concept development to technical implementation and optimization, we accompany STARK Deutschland in its digital transformation – with a solution that sustainably improves consulting and purchasing in the building materials trade. The underlying embedding model can be seamlessly integrated into existing e-commerce systems and offers versatile potential for digital commerce in a wide range of industries.

Fast product search with AI

Anyone looking for new tiles often faces a challenge: it is difficult to make a decision in an exhibition with hundreds of samples, and without a specific product name, searching in specialist stores can be time-consuming.

STARK Deutschlands AI-supported visual search eliminates this problem:
A photo is all it takes, the AI compares the image with over 9,000 tiles in the range and suggests suitable products. These can be ordered directly online or found in one of over 250 branches. Purchases can be made both digitally and on site, further strengthening STARK Deutschlands omni-channel presence. Targeted training with rotated image variants and optimized user guidance ensured that even challenging scenarios such as varying lighting conditions or different perspectives are reliably recognized and interpreted. And what works here can be expanded in the future: “The tile was the best use case for us to start the project as a pilot. As it works so well and fits perfectly with our strategy, we will definitely expand it,” says Simon Heppt, CDO of STARK Deutschland GmbH.

Added value for customers, trade businesses
and sales staff

The AI visual search not only provides real added value for end customers, but also for trade businesses and sales staff. Tilers can quickly find alternative models without the need for a time-consuming catalog search. At the same time, employees in specialist stores can efficiently search through the entire range – regardless of the available display space.