If you’re wondering what to wear at a wedding in Goa this monsoon, Myntra’s new AI-based segment MyFashionGPT can help you scout ensemble options to get that perfect look. “This feature empowers customers to choose and discover looks from over 2 million styles, redefining how customers explore fashion,” said Raghu Krishnananda, chief product & technology officer, Myntra.
Not only styling, the brand in the near future plans to include voice search, conversational interactions, and personalisation of outfit recommendations. Myntra’s another AI tool, MyStylist, provides expert styling tips and search in 11 languages. The company expects nearly 80% of its customers to engage with MyStylist by the end of this year.
Brands have moved beyond the era of online chatbots where users could only navigate, chat and share feedback for products, now turning to AI-empowered retail experience for styling tips, make-up recommendations, and a superior shopping experience.
“Retailers can create personalised shopping experience, improve profitability by not only developing products that consumers need but predict where the next demand will come from, along with pricing, etc,” said Rajat Wahi, partner, Deloitte India.
“This will allow them to compete effectively in an ever-changing retail landscape,” added Wahi.
Brands like Good Glamm Group, Sugar Cosmetics, The Derma Co of Mamaearth have tied up with Perfect Corp, a SaaS AI & AR beauty and fashion tech solutions provider, besides Google, YouTube, Meta’s Instagram and Snapchat, to offer patented AI-powered solutions like AgileFace, AgileHand, Makeup AR, Live 3D Face AR, Skincare AR, and Face AI.
Honasa Consumer, the parent company of beauty brands Mamaearth, The Derma Co, Ayuga, and Aqualogica, has introduced AR, VR and use of skin mapping AI technology. Abhishek Gupta, SVP, growth, Honasa Consumer, said the brand increased revenue by 30-40% with these tools. “The use of predictive analytics has helped consumers choose the right product, and helped the brand convert and retain consumers,” he said.
The virtual try-on technologies enhance personalised shopping experience and targeted product recommendations. “The demand for AI in skincare shopping is soaring. AI-powered virtual try-ons for jewellery is also an emerging category,” said Tanuj Mishra, country head, Perfect Corp, which aims to increase its clients by 5X by 2025.
Bengaluru and Singapore-based Ace Turtle, a technology-driven retail company, has partnered with global brands like Dockers, Lee, and Wrangler which use machine learning and proprietary technology platform Rubicon for visual merchandising and key store activities that are accessible on smartphones. Lee and Wrangler have seen a five-fold increase in online revenue share in the past one year, said Amit Kriplani, CTO, Ace Turtle.
“Consumers can share details about their body type, preferred fit, or the occasion they are shopping for with AI-powered chatbots, and data is used to offer personalised suggestions,” said Kriplani. Lee Studio launched its flagship store in April this year in Bengaluru with smart mirrors in fitting rooms to discover dress options, besides electronic shelf labels offering real-time updates on prices.
The Colour iQ service by French multinational personal care and beauty retailer Sephora helps find the perfect makeup shade with expert recommendations. Japanese retailer Uniqlo uses AI-powered UMood kiosks in select stores to measure reactions to different colours and styles to find the right outfit match.
Some brands like Maybelline have tied up with Microsoft Teams where users can access AI-powered ‘virtual makeup’ filters and apply make-up during meetings.
Flipkart has leveraged AI to enhance supply product discovery and recommendations, besides backend operations. Mayur Datar, chief data scientist, Flipkart, said, “We have employed X-ray fraud detection to combat return fraud and ChatGPT-like tools help develop virtual assistants and content generation to enhance user experience. This not only improves customer satisfaction but increases customer loyalty too.”
Aditya Birla Capital, the financial solutions arm of Aditya Birla Group, launched OneVerse, a virtual metaverse lounge designed as a replica of its physical branch. The lounge enables Aditya Birla Capital customers to explore a wide range of solutions related to protecting, investing, financing, and advising anytime, anywhere by walking through the virtual lounge and interacting with interactive elements within the space. Additionally, the lounge offers customers several digital aids and convenient access to digital self-service channels, including a user-friendly WhatsApp bot, that can be accessed by clicking on posters around the virtual lounge or by scanning a QR code.
From checking the PNR Status on Google Chats to selecting a menu to track orders, Zoop, an IRCTC approved train food delivery partner, can register complaints and resolve them promptly with AI assistance. Food delivery app Swiggy is pilot launching a neural search feature powered by AI to enable voice typing and tailored recommendations for food and grocery delivery this September.