AI is the talk of the town, but is it right for the store?

Only five years ago, the Saks president declared ‘We don’t need AI in our stores. We have I’. But the market sentiment has drastically changed since then, and every corner of the economy is now effected by AI as it ‘promises to usher in a wave of change across all industries’ (Guardian). 

RETAIL + AI

AI has been ingrained in retail operations for some time. Offering predictive analysis to ascertain customer preferences, predict purchasing behaviours and more, initially AI served as a tool for strategic marketing and product development. However, the focus has recently shifted to Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs), advanced machine-learning models capable of generating human-like text.

A BALANCING ACT

At Proximity we strongly believe that AI, when used to augment human capabilities will play a significant role in shaping the future of retail. We emphasise the term “augment” because nothing can replace the depth and impact of genuine human-to-human interactions. 

THE RETAIL SUPER-APP

The Proximity Retail Super-App is designed to consolidate customer data and in-store functions into a single application. Our app gives employees access to everything they need to create an exceptional customer experience, while streamlining store operations and increasing sales. By adding AI to the equation, we can further enhance our solution while reducing the burden on store teams.

WE’RE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE…

Proximity Personalised Recommendations powered by ChatGPT. This prototype enables our system to suggest recommended products and generate text based on customer preferences, historical data, and similar customer profiles.

PROXIMITY powered by ChatGPT

Enhanced personalised customer interaction: By integrating ChatGPT into Proximity’s clienteling solution, associates will be able to move beyond editable email templates and generate customised messages quickly. Also product suggestions based on individual preferences and historical data. Furthermore, these messages can be quickly adjusted to align with a particular tone and purpose.

Data analysis and insight generation: Proximity’s dashboard reporting feature already provides invaluable metrics and KPIs to store teams. With ChatGPT, these metrics combined with native product recommendations can be analysed, generating actionable insights in natural language and making it easier for store associates to understand and act upon.

WANT TO SEE FOR YOURSELF?

While these enhancements are exciting, they’re just the beginning! Stay tuned as we roll out more functionality, and feel free to reach out if you want to learn more about this.