How Emoji Search Is Changing Online Shopping
Emoji search is changing online shopping as users are looking to search via emojis in order to save time and create ease. They are searching in the way they text, rather than in the way they think the search engine wants them to search. This boosts customer satisfaction and merchant sales.
Updated April 21, 2026
AI Summary
People are increasingly communicating with emojis instead of words. Whether this is via text message, social media comments or posts, or instant messaging. Emoji search in ecommerce allows shoppers to search for products using specific emojis related to products, as opposed to specific keywords. In 2025, emoji searches grew 42% between Q1 and Q4. Year-over-Year growth in Q1 is even more dramatic with emoji search growing 40% in Q1 alone.
This trend matters as a result of the rise of mobile-first behavior. Most people are shopping using their mobile devices, and emoji search perfectly slots into that. The Gen Z influence has led to this rise, as well as their heavy use of emojis to communicate. On top of this, using emojis to search transcends borders. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, you can understand the meaning behind the image of an emoji. This means emoji search opens your business up to global audiences.
What Is Emoji Search?
Emoji search means using an emoji to search for a specific product. Such as using an image of a wedding ring 💍 to indicate jewelry, or a cake 🍰 to indicate baked goods. There are also more specific emojis that correspond to certain terms. For example, a fire emoji 🔥 means trending items and a pizza 🍕 means food delivery. There is a kind of code within emojis that help shoppers to navigate marketplaces quickly and easily.
This works through AI mapping emojis to certain keywords, along with using intent recognition allowing the emojis to find the accurate product the searcher was aiming for. Emoji search is already being used in search bars, social commerce and messaging apps, so it’s not a wholly new thing. Using it in ecommerce is taking it to new places.
Current Emoji Use
The top 10 emoji searches in 2025 were dominated by standard apparel icons: sneaker (👟), high-heeled shoe (👠), dress (👗). The 2026 data reveals a more diverse and expressive landscape, with searches for beauty-intent icons like the kiss mark (💋) and performance-related symbols like the boxing glove (🥊).
Take a look at the infographic below to see more examples of the top 10 emoji searches in 2026 so far, and some text and emoji combination searches that could be used.
Click here to download the infographic.
Why Is Emoji Search Gaining Popularity?
Shift In Consumer Behavior
There is a rise in visual communication, which means that shoppers are moving away from text heavy bases in order to search. Instead, new AI technology such as voice search or emoji search offer faster, more intuitive input. Instead of typing, images can produce results, with a smoother experience for the shopper.
Mobile & Social Growth
‘One-handed browsing’ is becoming more of a thing. Shoppers are no longer sitting down at their browser to online shop, it is all happening in one hand on their mobile device. With this in mind, anything that makes the process simpler makes sense. Using emojis to search is a perfect example of this.
The rise in chat AI technology also means that more shoppers are using conversational commerce to make purchases. They do not want to switch to a formal mode of communication in order to find products. The influence of chat-based shopping experiences means that shoppers want to search in a natural way to them.
Global Accessibility
Emojis are a cross-language tool. It doesn’t matter which language you speak, there is a universality in emoji images that transcends borders. This reduces language barriers within international commerce, meaning that everyone can find the products they are searching for.
For brands looking to scale, or those with already established global marketplaces, this presents a fresh way to create global community and customer satisfaction across seas.
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Conclusion
Emoji search is changing online shopping as it allows search to go beyond browser based, keyword oriented search. Instead, it unites shoppers globally with recognizable images, and allows customers to feel at ease searching. It is one step beyond natural language processing, shoppers do not need to know the names of what they are looking for, they just need to have an image to represent it. This shift in consumer behavior will continue to take place, and emoji search will be adapting alongside it.
