Mother, may I?

London-based PIXSTA has launched a search engine that lets users search for images with other images — a capability unmatched by text-to-text and text-to-image search engines.

PIXSTA visitors query by clicking on a product's photo, which returns items of similar color, shape or texture. Clicking on the new options re-submits them as search terms, further terracing results.

To purchase something, users may click directly into an affiliate product landing page.

The service is monetized through PIXSTA's AdImage, an online retail network that models AdWords but is entirely photo-based.

PIXSTA reported lead-to-customer success rates in excess of six percent for advertisers, yielding better ROI opportunities than AdWords, it asserts.

Brand owners also benefit because their products become search-based content that customers interact with. And consumers benefit because they see what they want and can act on the desire without having to wade through text-based search queries.

ElleUK, Handbag.com and Fabulous Magazine have signed on as media partners. Advertisers include OASIS, Dorothy Perkins and Monsoon.

SearchMe, a rival "visual search engine" that lets users browse images of webpages, launched in private beta last March.

PIXSTA's image-to-image search engine and ad network also follows news that Google is building a visual ranking system for images. A recent study found users prefer the integration of images and video in search queries; a ranking system would eliminate duplicates and increase image relevance.