We’ve all seen the headlines day in and out – AI is here, and it is going to change everything: the ways we work; the output and efficiencies of what we do; the impossible is now possible. While Predictive AI — namely the almighty algorithm — has been around for a while now, the technological advances in Generative AI is all the buzz today. As a Commerce practitioner, there are multiple potential applications to how AI could make us more strategic, targeted, innovative, and efficient in our work.
Content Creation
Commerce strategy relies on producing the right content for the right person for final conversion. As AI-driven content tools become increasingly sophisticated, it can be leveraged to reduce strain on creative resources. This includes more obvious applications like generating compelling ad copy and stimulating visuals for a product display page on Amazon, but we can already think beyond this to more cutting-edge applications. Our Zenith team is particularly interested in the ways these generative tools can produce Influencer content and visuals from scratch. Imagine filming an Influencer once to capture an hour of content and being able to generate limitless different videos! If you saw the summer premiere of Black Mirror Season 6 starring Salma Hayek, then you know we need to be careful in this space. There are, of course, concerns on that front that would need to be addressed and cleared directly with the talent to ensure appropriate compensation.
Personalization Based on Consumer Insights
In a digital world, where options are seemingly endless, knowing what our customers are looking for is key. The increasingly complex buying journey is both a blessing and a curse for consumers, as the many options available can be overwhelming. This is where a unique blend of Generative and Predictive AI can provide deep insights into consumer behaviors and preferences to ensure we are serving them the most personalized product or message. Imagine a fashion brand that was able to analyze a customer’s browsing and purchase history to develop an outfit curated uniquely for them, or incorporate dynamic offers, pricing, and product assortment to essentially create a shopping experience wholly tailored to the individual.
Chatbot/Customer Service
One of the biggest benefits of AI is its ability to identify efficiencies while improving the customer experience. Customer service has struggled across several categories in the retail industry, especially as brands move towards more personalized offering. AI-powered chatbots are beginning to transform this space by providing immediate responses to inquiries, offering product recommendation, and sometimes even handling transactions and returns. This improves the customer experience overall, as well as frees up human capital to perform more complicated tasks. Several of Zenith’s core digital partners invest heavily in this space with AI-generated responses in Messenger and search queries.
How do we drive success in this space?
Zenith Commerce develops custom strategies to take advantage of the increasingly innovative AI space. We’ve done the work to understand new technology and distinguish between opportunities for efficiencies tailored to driving business outcomes and exciting trends with limited or no ROI. We also look to the success we have seen in this space: a consumer product creating new packaging leveraging AI creative tools; a streaming service personalizing content and subsequent merchandising offerings based on viewing history; or apparel brands leveraging virtual assistants to give consumers an amazing shopping experience catered to their personal tastes and needs.
Additionally, Publicis Media has partnered with some of the foremost leaders in the space, such as Adobe and Google, to release a myriad of internal tools that ensure we stay ahead of this rapidly evolving field. These tools allow employees to explore, discover, and immerse themselves across a different areas, including large language models and Generative AI startups, while learning from case studies across the network.
Written by Adam Kessler, Vice President, Commerce Strategy at Zenith USA
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