Artificial intelligence is rapidly proving its value in different aspects of life. Companies and organizations are turning to this groundbreaking technology for assistance in overcoming various hurdles that impede their growth.
Also, AI technology is facilitating the creating or emergence of new impressive ideas that make life easy and more fun. This situation is best shown by the latest project between Alibaba and Guess.
Recently, lifestyle brand Guess and e-commerce giant Alibaba unveiled a new AI-powered concept intended for future fashion stores. This endeavor comes at a time when retailers are integrating technology into offline shopping in a bid to bolster their customer experience and push sales.
Both companies set up a concept store on the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s campus ground, which displays Alibaba’s FashionAI tech. The store opened its doors on July 5 and will be closed on July 7th.
The concept store is created around Alibaba’s e-commerce platform dubbed Taobao. Users check in to it using their mobile Taobao QR code and the items displayed inside are accompanied by Taobao product listings. With such listings, users can comfortably add the items they would like to buy directly to their Taobao shopping cart.
Inside the store, each product features an RFID tag. As such, when a customer picks up an item, the smart mirror closest to that user registers the tag and in turn, shows an image of the product and its details on the screen. Additionally, the smart mirror can also offer mix and match recommendations for products in the store as well as styling ideas based on past purchases made by a particular user.
READ MORE: 10 Powerful Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Retail
Clients in the FashionAI store can choose the clothes that they feel like trying out, which will, in turn, be prepared on their behalf in the fitting room. In addition, the fitting areas are also fitted with smart mirrors that enable users to select a varying size or even new products to try out without having to leave the particular room.
Upon determining the items to buy, the checkout and payment process is completed on a user ’s smartphone via the Taobao application. Furthermore, Alibaba has integrated the FashionAI idea into its new retail model, whereby it hopes to link both online and offline commerce by utilizing AI and data.
Apart from Alibaba, other online retailers such as JD. Com are also joining the trend by opening new retail supermarkets including its line of 7Fresh fresh-food stores, which is akin to Hema. In addition, the stores feature smart carts that are designed to help guide shoppers to their preferred aisles.
In Thailand, Pomelo Fashion is seeking to launch its first ever micro-retail store in Singapore. At the Singapore-based store, shoppers will be in a better position to narrow down their product selections online as well as send their selected items to a physical fitting area to try on.
As if that’s not enough, Amazon, a Seattle-based e-commerce company, has also made an effort to incorporate its diverse online offerings with its wide network of Whole Foods stores, which are spread out across the United States.
Source SCMP
