AI is no longer a thing of the future, it’s here and it’s starting to change everything, even the way we shop. If you thought autonomous cars or tools like ChatGPT were going to be the big stars, get ready, because what’s coming in the retail world could be even more disruptive. This is the moment when the third industrial revolution, powered by artificial intelligence, creeps into your wardrobe. The big promise? A much more efficient, streamlined and personalised shopping experience, both online and in-store.
From the rise of virtual assistants that help us choose products to chatbots that filter through the chaos of thousands of options, AI is reshaping the way we interact with e-commerce. On platforms like SSENSE or Farfetch, once a maze of brands and filters, AI is stepping in to eliminate hours of searching.
Not only that: it also optimises shopping by suggesting exactly what we need, without us having to ask complicated questions. Want something new? Just name the style, budget and occasion, and the AI has it covered. In physical shops, the salesperson receives real-time updates on stock and, most interestingly, the customer’s shopping behaviour. All this with such a personalised touch that it almost makes you feel like someone knows you better than you know yourself.
But here the first dilemma arises: do we really want an algorithm to decide for us? Is it helping us or simply selling us what is in the brand’s best interest? No one can guarantee that what we see is totally unbiased, especially when the AI has access to data that can be biased by commercial interests. In this sense, shopping AI becomes a battleground between what is authentic and what is driven by third party interest.
The good news is that we are no longer talking about science fiction. Online sales in the US will grow by 4% in 2022 thanks to the use of intelligent chatbots that personalise the shopping experience, according to a Salesforce report. In fact, 92% of retailers are already investing in AI, with 59% using it to help their employees recommend products in-store, while 55% are using it to assist online shoppers. Gartner predicts that by 2027, more than half of consumers will rely on AI assistants to make purchasing decisions.
A clear example of this change is Perplexity, which launched a function capable of recommending products from blog posts, videos or reviews on social networks, eliminating the noise of sponsored links. It’s not just about filtering content, but more organic curation of what we really want. This AI also learns from our preferences and behaviours, fine-tuning suggestions to be more and more accurate. In the Middle East market, Taffi introduced Amira, an AI stylist who understands the cultural and fashion particularities of the Gulf, creating recommendations tailored to that particular market. This type of AI is not only limited to recommending products, but is starting to become a strategic tool for optimising inventories, identifying trends and even helping to avoid overproduction.
Like any advanced technology, it is not perfect, and a lack of human ‘common sense’ can result in misplaced recommendations. AI systems operate on data-driven probabilities, which sometimes leads to errors or ‘hallucinations’ (yes, that technical term for moments when AI invents information). Also, because they cannot access all possible data, if there is outdated inventory or inaccessible information, the buying process can be compromised.
But despite all this, the adoption of AI continues to grow. Brands such as Marks & Spencer are already using AI to personalise clothing recommendations based on body shape and user preferences. In fact, this has enabled them to increase their online clothing sales and customer engagement. In the fashion world, Sephora, Amazon, eBay and IKEA already have virtual assistants in operation. And while brands such as Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger experimented with the technology back in 2016 via Facebook Messenger, it is only now that it is really starting to take off.
The future of physical shopping is also evolving. Zegna has been one of the pioneers in integrating AI with its Zegna X tool, which not only personalises the choice of products for the customer, but also allows the brand’s advisors to access all the information about customers’ purchases and preferences. This kind of digital integration with human contact could be the key to improving the in-store shopping experience.
Despite all the possibilities, there is still a long way to go. Consumer trust remains an obstacle, especially when it comes to privacy and the use of personal data. But if one thing is clear, it is that AI is here to stay – is it leading us to a more efficient future, or simply to faster and more targeted consumption? The debate is open, but what is undeniable is that shopping as we know it is changing forever.
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