AI-powered shopping tool for holidays unveiled by Simon
Retail companies are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance customer experience, and Simon Property Group is the latest to join the bandwagon. The American retail and mixed-use real estate firm has developed a tool called HolidAI that uses AI technology to help customers find gifts during the holiday season.
Simon Property Group's Chief Marketing Officer, Lee Sterling, stated that the company aims to make the holiday shopping experience extra special this year with the help of AI-driven technology. The HolidAI tool is designed to make gift finding easier for busy shoppers during the holiday season.
HolidAI uses ChatGPT 4.0 to connect customers with products within its database of gifts. The tool will be introduced at Roosevelt Field property in Garden City, New York, and Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, California, on Nov. 24. The AI-driven technology in Simon's HolidAI tool will recur every Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 23.
In addition to aiding shoppers, HolidAI helper elves will provide impromptu dancing and singing performances. These helper elves are Simon staffers who will use digital tablets to assist shoppers.
Simon is experimenting with tech features that support in-store shoppers and employees with its new artificial intelligence shopping tool. The company began piloting the Simon Search tool last year, which assists customers in finding in-stock items at participating retailers within their properties. The Simon Search tool was expanded to 187 properties earlier this year, allowing customers to shop for their desired merchandise at more than 3,300 stores.
Other retail giants like Amazon, eBay, Google, and Walmart are also experimenting with AI in the retail space. Amazon's upgraded AI-powered digital assistant, Alexa+, uses generative AI to go beyond simple voice commands. It understands user schedules, preferences, and stored information to make recommendations, set shopping lists, and even perform actions like booking dinner or buying concert tickets. Amazon Nova, a family of foundation AI models, powers text, image, video, and "agentic" capabilities tailored for different retail applications.
While specific AI features for eBay are not detailed in these results, eBay is known for deploying AI for personalized recommendations, price optimization, and fraud detection. Google leverages AI mainly through its search and shopping platforms, offering personalized shopping ads, visual search capabilities, and AI-powered recommendations in Google Shopping. Its experimental AI chatbots assist users in product discovery and decision-making, offering streamlined, conversational shopping experiences.
Walmart is adopting AI shopping assistants to guide consumers in product discovery and improving checkout efficiency. AI chatbots and recommendation engines tailor the shopping journey to user preferences, and Walmart is exploring AI-powered personalization at scale to offer deals and product bundles relevant to individual shoppers.
By implementing AI, these retail companies aim to provide more intuitive, faster, and personalized shopping experiences to consumers, driving engagement, satisfaction, and operational efficiency. The National Retail Federation recently released four principles to guide retailers using AI for various purposes. These principles include ensuring privacy, transparency, accountability, and fairness in AI applications.
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/01/10/the-top-10-ai-trends-that-will-change-the-world-in-2022/?sh=3589b9f23c5e [2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/03/15/the-top-10-ai-trends-that-will-change-the-world-in-2021/?sh=604c64e558b5 [3] https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16422712011 [4] https://www.walmart.com/corporate/innovation/ai-and-machine-learning [5] https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16422712011
- Retail companies, including Simon Property Group, are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations to boost customer experience and productivity.
- Simon Property Group's new tool, HolidAI, employs AI technology to help shoppers find gifts during the holiday season, and it will be available at select locations starting November 24.
- The retail industry is utilizing AI in various ways, such as personalized recommendations, fraud detection, and operational efficiency, with firms like Amazon, eBay, Google, and Walmart also investing in AI technology.
- Amazon's Alexa+ adoption of generative AI allows it to understand user preferences and offer customized recommendations, booking services, and more.
- Walmart is leveraging AI chatbots and recommendation engines to personalize shopping journeys for consumers, aiming to improve checkout efficiency and offer relevant deals and product bundles.
