21 Jul Macy’s Pilots IBM’s Watson for AI-Powered Personal Shopper
Macy’s has launched a new mobile web tool powered by IBM’s Watson which the company hopes will help entice shoppers into its stores.
“Macy’s On Call” will allow customers to interact with an AI-powered platform via mobile devices, recognizing that many shoppers now turn to their smartphones before a sales associate. The platform is powered by Satisfi, a development partner which utilizes IBM Watson for commercial applications.
Macy’s is testing the new technology at 10 of its stores. While Watson technology can power interactions in a number of ways, the first phase of this pilot program will test Watson’s natural language capabilities in a physical retail environment, to see if the computer can successfully point shoppers to each store’s unique products and services, as well as explain the store layout.
There are a number of ways that customers may request information. For example, a customer could type, “Where are the women’s shoes?” or type a combination of brand and product inquiry such as “I.N.C dress,” and they will receive the relevant response and location of that product in the store.