>Business >ML in the retail industry – Use cases, applications, and the future Part 6

ML in the retail industry – Use cases, applications, and the future Part 6

Intro

This is the sixth part of the multi-part blog series on ML within the retail industry, its use cases, applications, and the outlook for the technology. The sixth part of this blog series focuses on AI’s presence in retail marketing.

AI in Retail Marketing – Promising avenues are present

This portion of the blog explores the most compelling Artificial Intelligence in marketing opportunities of Artificial Intelligence, which will assist in selling more.

  • More customized loyalty schemes

For the previous few years, all the rage has been about customization or ‘personalization’ even if this word has minimal relevance to the topic at hand. The upcoming year will not be spared from this trend. Through analysis of an appreciating amount of data, and identifying the most ingrained dispositions and patterns of client behaviour, retailers will make every effort to make their personalization experiences the ‘go-to’ experience in the market, amongst their competitors.

  • An increased number of Robotic Consultants

We have witnessed in the previous parts and several other blogs by AICorespot about the successful deployment of robots in business, especially in automation. With the pandemic continuing in full swing, the number of these deployments will continue to increase. As a result, it is no reason for shock if you come upon a robot at a mall, offering you assistance. Chatbots and Virtual Assistants (VAs) are somewhat of a lightweight deployment of this tech.

  • Better Product Layout

In keeping with sound business principles, retailers will concentrate on reducing expenditure and effort that is expended. Thus, we ought to be ready for the reality that the processes for displaying goods in stores will undergo review and optimization based on client purchasing patterns and behaviour. As a matter of fact, identifying what you require on the first attempt is a brilliant experience and a compelling reason to return.

  • Virtual Fitment Rooms

AR continues to penetrate; retail is no exception. AR is poised to become a major player, and in 2022 investments will continue and an increasing number of retail industry heavyweights will deploy AR fitment rooms. The objective of this is simple – to furnish innovative experiences and save the customer’s time resources.

  • Do away with false reviews

Fake reviews are a real thorn in the side of any organization. And for any customer who wishes to make the correct choice. At this juncture, these systems have already been developed and are in the training phase. These algorithms learn to identify the styling of writing, the particulars of the speech, the precision of feedback, and even the disposition and moods of the individual who authored the review to arrive at a determination if the review is authentic or not. And this is relevant to both positive and negative reviews.

  • Voice and Visual Search

All is clear with the power of visual search – this is another avenue for customers to purchase what they actually want, and retailers to sell it to them, respectively. But, the trend of voice search will alter the strategy to content strategies. Currently, retailers will have to develop, optimize and place their content in such a manner as to take this trend into consideration as a request such as “purchase a dress Baltimore” will be intuitively substituted with “where to purchase a dress in Baltimore” – just the manner as we are interacting between ourselves.

  • Churn Forecasting

The capacity of Artificial Intelligence to undertake analysis of additional data sets will also assist retailers to learn about the client’s intentions to stop being a customer or brand follower. And not just the lack of purchases for a protracted time will be taken into consideration – the amount of data that will be analyzed for this conclusion will be much bigger.

There is a looming hope that retail brands will adopt more ethically-oriented strategies and become eco-friendly with the assistance of AI. But, notwithstanding which side we will look at these retail avenues that became an actuality in 2020, the most critical task that AI can find resolutions to is totally different.

The ideal thing that AI can do for brands (particularly when it comes to clothing manufacturers) is to assist in the optimization of production in such a manner as to make it ethical to the greatest extent, and also eco-friendly.

 

Value Chain StageRetailerAI tech (Gartner hype cycle)Details of tech utilization
DesignAdidasMLLeveraging ML, Adidas is utilizing a “speed factory” to assist clients in designing their own customized footwear, manufacturing them in a day, and shipping them to clients.
ManufacturingMohammadi Fashion SweatersSmart ApplicationsAI facilitated sewing machines that are used in the knitting of sweaters.
Sourcing/ProcurementSimonsInsight EnginesSimons deployed analytics for enhanced insight on forecasted demand and inventory optimization suggestions that get the correct product to the correct store proactively
Client use and supportIkeaAugmented IntelligenceAR deployments assist the clients (virtually) in placing true to scale 3D furniture in their home
Store ops and salesSephoraAugmented IntelligenceThe app facilitates clients to try products virtually through AR. The utility scans a client’s face, figures out where their eyes and lips are then color matched, and makes recommendations of products for customers to purchase.
FulfillmentThe Home DepotEdge AIHome Depot is linking in-store products with a smart enterprise strategy. It is leveraging drones and robotics to develop an effective in-store experience that delights clients and furnishes quicker order fulfilment.
Inventory mgmt./distributionThredUpDeep LearningScanning approximately 100 mil unique inbound items through image recognition facilitating automated visualized tagging of products and allocating a unique item code.

 

Conclusion

With AI becoming increasingly affordable by the day, it is an option even for mid and small-sized enterprises. Further, the prior few years have been a period of evaluating AI in action. The response has been very positive, and it has taken off with flying colors, especially within the retail space.

Add Comment