By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc.
A new year, new artificial intelligence tools for shoppers: That seems to be the theme for early 2024 as big retailers continue to roll out new AI-based products.
Walmart chose the bright lights of Las Vegas — specifically the Consumer Electronics Show in early January — as the setting to announce a generative AI search feature that’s tailored for more serious shoppers. It allows Walmart’s customers to search for products they want based on use cases, rather than specific product or brand names.
An example: “Instead of typing in individual searches for ‘chips,’ ‘wings,’ ‘drinks,’ or a ‘90-inch TV,’ you can simply ask Walmart to return search results for things needed for a ‘football watch party,’” TechCrunch reported from the Vegas electronics show.
“Results: The enhanced search results span various categories, providing information on reviews, prices, images and more.”
Or maybe you’re needing something green to wear for St. Patrick’s Day? A search today on the Walmart website for “st. patrick’s day shirts” will yield you more than 1,000 results, replete with images of shirts that are available from the retailer, as well as product descriptions for each top.
Amazon’s Dog ‘Rufus’ … and a Sommelier Named Sam
Walmart doesn’t seem to have a catchy nickname for its new Gen AI tool for shoppers, but Amazon and Chevron did when they released their new online tools at the start of the new year.
Amazon Rufus is the Gen AI-powered shopping assistant recently introduced by Amazon. Its namesake is in honor of a Welsh corgi named Rufus, who was Amazon’s first warehouse dog back in 1996. Owned by a couple who were early Amazon corporate-level employees, Rufus loved attending meetings in those early days of the company.
“Though he passed away in 2009, his presence is still felt at the Seattle headquarters, where a building bears his name and photos mark his memory,” Amazon remembers.
Rufus’ reincarnation, the new Amazon shopping search tool, is trained on the corporate giant’s vast product catalog, along with customer reviews, community Q&As and other information from across the web.
It will answer customer questions related to various shopping needs and products — plus, provide product comparisons and make context-aware recommendations based on conversational context with a shopper.
Then there’s Sam the Sommelier, a new AI-powered shopping assistant that has been introduced by Samsung, in collaboration with Chevron and its ExtraMile convenience stores.
Sam is “a hyper-realistic generative AI-powered virtual being that can interact with customers via voice or live chat through an app,” Samsung says.
At the San Diego ExtraMile store, for example, customers can browse the wine shelves and learn about each variety’s tasting notes, take a quiz to find their ideal bottle and get immediate help to complete the transaction — all through a natural conversation with the virtual being, according to Samsung.
The assistant also will provide recommendations for wine pairings with a customer’s food purchases. (“What goes with a Slim Jim and a bag of peanuts,” perhaps?)
“Stores today need to deliver interactive experiences to engage with the digital-savvy shopper,” said Sara Grofcsik, executive director of U.S. commercial sales for Samsung Electronics America, in introducing Sam the Sommelier.
“However, it’s difficult to meet current expectations for dynamic content with traditional signs and banners. This approach combines digital signage and real consumer data to reach customers at the right time with the right message. Customers stay up to date on hot products and deals, and this helps them keep coming back to ExtraMile stores for more.”
Expect More Virtual Shopping Assistants
In a review of some of these newer, AI-powered shopping tools in the world of search marketing, the experts at eMarketer/Inside Intelligence, citing October 2023 IBM data, note that 86% of adults worldwide say they want AI to help them research products or get information.
Almost as many, or 82%, would like AI to provide them service/answers or resolve issues, and 79% say they want AI to help them look for deals or promotions, according to IBM.
“The bottom line: As retailers experiment with generative AI, there’s no shortage of ways to use it to improve the customer experience,” eMarketer says.
“Perhaps more importantly, consumers are highly receptive to AI assistance across the shopping journey.”
