How AI is Revolutionizing Retail

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few weeks deliberating over AI, its limitless possibilities, and the unknowns that may come with it. As with most things, there are undeniable pros and cons surrounding the rapidly evolving generative AI space. But, when we boil it all down, it is an impressive tool to help humans do things more efficiently, especially when it comes to driving new innovations across industries. The retail space is no exception with countless examples of how AI is already impacting the lives of consumers for the better.

COVID-19 accelerated the e-commerce industry to new heights. As we continue to assimilate to life after the pandemic, the convenience afforded by technology and online shopping continues to reign supreme for consumers who refuse to look back. AI introduces the opportunity to supercharge this convenience in the retail space for both consumers and retailers alike.

A notable example of this is ShopWithAI, an AI agent that learns your specific taste to make recommendations on anything from clothing to furniture from thousands of brands and designers across the web. Could this be the answer to the often laborious process of sifting through dozens of online stores to find the perfect pair of jeans? The potential of this idea is huge, bringing an entirely new level of personalization and convenience to the online shopping experience. 

Beyond benefiting consumers themselves, AI is being leveraged by retailers who are utilizing it to enhance their own outputs: from generating more engaging copy for product descriptions to speeding up customer service response and resolution times. Zowie is one company revolutionizing the customer service space, and is an intuitive e-commerce chatbot that recognizes not only words, but also analyzes the possible meaning and intention behind them to deliver instant and eerily human responses. This customer service example can improve e-commerce businesses by increasing customer satisfaction, reducing response times, and cutting costs.

We’ve also seen retailers begin to create AI-generated product photography and models. Controversially, but interestingly nonetheless, Levi’s recently revealed plans to leverage AI-generated models to increase diversity in its model range. The company is partnering with LaLaLand.ai to enable customers to view what their clothing would look like on a wide range of body types, ages, sizes, and skin tones, offering a completely tailored experience. 

As AI continues to evolve and revolutionize the retail industry, the possibilities for enhancing the shopping experience and improving business outcomes are truly limitless – from providing greater convenience and personalization for consumers to benefiting retailers by improving their overall outputs and reducing costs.

This is just the beginning of potentially endless possibilities to streamline the way we shop and I’d like to think that a world where I don’t have to scroll for hours to find the perfect jeans isn’t such a scary world after all.