The service enables users to find results using pictures rather than text and has been introduced after research conducted by the computer giant found that people process results with pictures 20 per cent faster than those that only use words.

 

A beta has been introduced at TechCrunch 50 in San Francisco and it can already be used to search for products such as books and cars, something ecommerce sites may wish to consider when they are tailoring their pages for search engine optimisation.

 

Todd Schwartz of Bing said in a blog post that Visual Search is "a new way to formulate and refine your search queries through imagery".

 

He described it as an "amazing new … experience," adding that further features will be added to the beta before it is given a full release in the future.

 

Earlier in the week, the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital publication revealed that rival search engine Yahoo is to launch a new marketing campaign to coincide with Advertising Week in New York.

 

Both are attempting to take market share from Google, which currently dominates internet search.