The AI revolution is affecting large parts of society, and the fashion industry is no exception. Gap, which can be described as an American equivalent to H&M, is now the first major American player to enable purchases directly in Google's AI service Gemini.
In practical terms, customers should be able to purchase clothing items without leaving the platform, pay digitally and then have the garments delivered as usual.
An important part is that the initiative should be combined with AI-based size recommendations.
"We're not investing in AI for the sake of novelty. This partnership is about solving real customer problems, helping customers feel confident about fit and making it easier to complete purchases," Sven Gerjets, who is responsible for the company's digital transformation, told CNBC.
Highly interesting development
According to H&M CEO Daniel Ervér, H&M has no similar plans at the moment but points out that the development is very interesting.
"If we look here and now, a very small part of the traffic comes that way," he says about various AI services.
"But what we are curious about, and what is exciting, is that this can help the customer."
For those who stand in front of their closet on Monday morning and don't know what to wear for the workday, AI solutions could become a factor in the future.
"We know that many of our customers find that fashion is not the easiest choice to make in life. We have customers who are amazing fashionistas and who love fashion. But for many it is difficult to find the right, relevant fit: how should I update my wardrobe this spring and what is the best value? For this group, this can be very relevant."
Contributing factor
In theory, this is where an AI service could become a contributing factor, says Daniel Ervér.
At the same time, fashion chains like H&M and Gap are grappling with the constant question: how will physical stores cope in competition with online shopping? In its latest quarterly report, H&M, for example, stated that 30 percent of all sales are now online.
Can't solutions like this divert traffic away from H&M's own platform?
"The honest answer is I don't know, but it's something we're exploring. Many of these solutions also provide fantastic value in our own channels."
