Artificial intelligence is being used to solve problems like issuing loans and discovering cures for diseases. But it also turns out that AI may also help you find the right shoes to wear to your next office party.
Vancouver-based ecommmerce brand SHOES.com has partnered with AI firm Sentient Technologies to integrate sentient technology into the online shopping experience. Dubbed Visual Filter, the feature is being incorporated into SHOES.com’s Canadian site SHOEme.ca, where casual browsers will encounter the cyber version of a personal shopper.
“At SHOES.com we strive to be an innovative force focused on empowering people to discover products and brands they love,” said Roger Hardy, CEO and co-founder of Shoes.com, in a statement. “Visual Filter does just this – it places the customer in control of the endless aisle by making the connection between the customer’s taste and the aesthetic of the shoe they’re looking for, all in real-time.”
Visual Filter uses Sentient’s Sentient Aware technology to watch consumers as they browse through a site. In doing so, the AI learns their style preferences, and then offers personalized suggestions based on its knowledge of the brand’s complete product catalogue – perhaps uncovering new styles.
“Many consumers don’t know the best way to describe the shoes they want but they know them when they see them,” Nikki Laing, a buyer for SHOES.COM, said in a statement. “Visual Filter allows our consumers to enjoy a highly interactive discovery process that’s as simple as pointing and clicking. The results are so insightful, it really feels like magic.”
The platform is starting with women’s boots and plans on expanding it across its product lines in the near future.