Artificial intelligence (AI) is getting more style-savvy every day and is transforming digital merchandising by offering retailers and their customers strategic, style-driven product recommendations. But how do AI-powered product recommendations work?
On an e-commerce site, a product recommendations engine automatically and intelligently generates product suggestions that have relevance to the hero product and/or the customers’ interests. It typically appears as a widget or carousel of products on a product description page (PDP), at the checkout, or anywhere across the site.
Through a combination of machine learning and manual testing, it’s possible to optimise an AI-powered product recommendation engine’s performance. This can help generate the most impactful results and highest conversions. To deliver relevant recommendations that delight and inspire shoppers and generate the highest conversions, it’s important to leverage both customer data and the style attributes of the products in your catalogue.
1. Similar Look
A Similar Look feature, which some e-commerce brands will call “You May Also Like,” gives customers similar product recommendations that share style qualities with the hero product.
These visually similar recommendations are central to any recommendation strategy. If a shopper clicks on an item, but it’s not a perfect match for them, Similar Look keeps the user engaged and gets them one step closer to finding the right product and making a purchase.
It takes their browsing activities into consideration, along with the style features of the hero product, to help shoppers advance through the customer journey without starting over or sifting through a vast product catalogue.
2. Shop the Look
Styled model shots and lifestyle imagery can add to the appeal of individual products – but it can be frustrating for customers when they can’t track down the particular accessories and secondary products they see in those photos. Shop the Look empowers retailers to capitalise on that visual content and helps customers shop the exact items they see.
For instance, a customer might be looking at a PDP for a pair of jeans, but the top and shoes worn by the model catch their attention. In homewares, another customer might be browsing for dining room decor, but they fall in love with the table and chairs those accessories are photographed with. Shop the Look makes the outfit or lifestyle image completely shoppable in these instances.
3. Complete the Look
Complete the Look offers complementary product recommendations based on style and occasion. This allows digital merchandisers to offer completely new outfits and fresh product combinations that inspire shoppers to keep filling their carts.
This type of recommendation widget can show suggestions across different product categories that share related tags and style attributes. For instance, on the PDP for a casual, beachy top, Complete the Look could suggest similarly casual beach accessories like sunglasses, tote bags, shorts, and swimwear.
AI-powered Smart Product Recommendations can dramatically improve product discovery. Whether you have a massive e-commerce catalogue or a relatively small selection, the right recommendation widget can help shoppers find and purchase products they would have never found when searching on their own.
This also supports a more intuitive, streamlined, and satisfying user experience. You can use AI algorithms to generate hyper-relevant and personalized recommendations without any manual interventions.
ViSenze, the world’s smartest product discovery platform, allows retailers to increase revenue, save time and improve product performance. Experience how ViSenze helps retailers globally deliver exceptional shopping experiences – Request a Personalised Demo.
About the author: Vadish Shetty is head of global marketing at ViSenze.
