12/1/2024
January 12, 2024
Google Cloud unveils generative AI solutions for retail at NRF 2024. Aimed at personalizing online shopping, enhancing customer service, and improving catalog management.
Ahead of the NRF's Big Show 2024, the global retail event in New York, Google Cloud has unveiled a series of innovative generative AI solutions aimed at transforming the retail industry. These tools are designed to personalize online shopping experiences, modernize operational practices, and facilitate the in-store deployment of these technologies.
With the NRF's Big Show set to commence on January 13, 2024, Google Cloud's new offerings are particularly noteworthy. Among them, three leverage generative AI, enhancing virtual agents on retail websites and mobile apps, elevating customer experiences, and revolutionizing product catalog management.
"Conversational Commerce," a key offering, enables retailers to effortlessly integrate generative AI-powered virtual agents into their websites and mobile apps. Hosted on Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform or integrated with existing catalog management applications, it utilizes generative AI models like Gemini Pro and Imagen 2, along with Vertex AI's Search and Conversation tools.
These virtual agents engage in nuanced, natural language conversations with customers, offering tailored product recommendations. For instance, a customer seeking a wedding dress receives personalized product options based on their preferences, including color, ceremony type, weather, accessories, and budget. Google promises rapid deployment of these agents within weeks, marking a significant time-saving advancement.
Google Cloud's other two solutions focus on essential retail activities: customer service and catalog management. "Customer Service Modernization" allows retailers to enhance self-service and customer engagement. It features AI-based agents capable of personalized product recommendations, appointment scheduling, and order status updates. This integrates seamlessly with enterprise CRMs and utilizes Google Cloud's LLMs like Gemini Pro and PaLM 2, including advanced linguistic translation capabilities.
Meanwhile, the "Catalog and Content Enrichment" solution, relying on Vertex AI, Gemini Pro, and the "text-to-image" model Imagen 2, automates the creation and analysis of product images and descriptive texts. It generates content optimized for search engine optimization (SEO) and includes a web interface for internal, non-technical profiles to manage AI-generated content. For instance, a sports store's merchandising team could use this to automatically upload their entire product catalog with complete and accurate descriptions. These generative AI solutions are slated for release in Q1 2024.
Google has also integrated a custom LLM into Vertex AI Search for Retail, its updated search technology for merchants. This enhancement improves product recommendation relevance based on customer searches. Retailers can tailor the LLM to their specific product catalog and consumer search habits. For example, a home goods retailer with products only described in French online could develop a language model for searches in both French and English, reaching a broader audience. The integration of LLM into Vertex AI Search is currently in preview and will be available later in 2024.
Carrie Tharp, VP of Strategic Industries at Google Cloud, notes that generative AI has undergone a dramatic transformation in just one year, evolving from a nascent concept to one of the fastest-growing technologies, now high on many retailers' agendas. With these turnkey solutions, retailers can personalize online shopping, modernize operations, and drive the deployment of such technologies in-store.
Finally, Google Cloud introduces a software and hardware combined offering in Google Distributed Cloud Edge. This brings computing power and storage capabilities directly to stores. According to Google, this portable hardware installed in store backrooms allows retailers to run critical store operations software, from point-of-sale systems to task management applications, addressing connectivity issues in physical stores.
Google Cloud will provide, deploy, operate, and maintain the hardware, relieving retailers of this burden. This solution will be globally available in Q1 2024.
In summary, Google Cloud's generative AI solutions, set to be showcased at NRF 2024, represent a significant leap forward for the retail industry, promising to transform the way retailers interact with customers, manage product catalogs, and operate in-store and online.
