Zalando launches ChatGPT assistant in Germany, Austria, UK and ROI

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 19, 2023

Zalando is diving deep into artificial intelligence and is to launch a fashion assistant powered by ChatGPT. It said the OpenAI technology allows customers to “ask questions using their own fashion terms and words, helping them navigate through Zalando’s large assortment in a more intuitive way”.

It’s not a full-on launch for now, with the beta version available to only a selected group of customers this spring in Germany, Austria, the UK and Ireland. Support will be in both English and German.

The company said that having “one of the most comprehensive assortments in the market, [means] at times customers can benefit from additional help in finding the perfect item”.

The new fashion assistant will make the navigation process “more intuitive and natural”.

It cited the example of someone asking “What should I wear for a wedding in Santorini in July?” And it said the fashion assistant “is able to understand that this is a formal event, what the weather is in Santorini in July, and therefore, provide a written explanation with recommendations for clothing based on that input”.

In future, this could also be combined in the future with customer preferences, such as brands they follow and products available in their sizes, to deliver a more personalised selection of products. 

It would certainly be a step up from current virtual assistants on webstores that anecdotal evidence suggests many shoppers avoid for all but the most basic queries because of the standard answers they give and their lack of flexibility.

The company also said that it’s “laying the groundwork for future developments and features, which could include fashion and beauty advice or outfit creation”. 

Tian Su, VP Personalisation and Recommendation at Zalando, said: “Our customers have always been at the centre of everything we do. We have consistently embraced new technologies to enhance our customers' shopping experience. This is just the beginning: we are committed to understanding our customers' needs and preferences even better, and we are eager to explore the potential that ChatGPT can bring to their shopping journey. Our focus remains on learning how our customers want to interact with our fashion assistant to provide them with the best possible experience.”