Marks & Spencer Integrates AI for Personalized Fashion Advice business, fashion, fashion news

Marks & Spencer (M&S) is leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance its online shopping experience and offer personalized style advice to customers. This move comes as part of M&S’s broader strategy to strengthen its e‑commerce presence, following a successful launch of its Autumn/​Winter 2024 collection and a resurgence in its market share.

The AI-powered styling tool allows shoppers to input details about their size, body shape, and style preferences. Based on this information, the system generates personalized outfit recommendations, providing customers with tailored suggestions that cater to their individual needs and tastes.

While acknowledging the benefits of AI technology, M&S emphasizes the importance of human expertise in refining the recommendations. Stephen Langford, Online Director at M&S, stresses that the company’s in-house style advisors play a crucial role in «sense-checking» the AI output, ensuring accuracy and relevance.

This hybrid approach has already proven successful, with approximately 450,000 customers utilizing the AI styling tool since its launch. Richard Price, Managing Director of Clothing & Home at M&S, has set an ambitious goal to generate 50% of fashion sales online by 2028, up from the current one-third.

M&S’s investment in technology extends beyond personalized styling. The company has implemented AI in various areas, including live shopping events which attract around 17,000 viewers per show and generate double-digit million revenue. Additionally, AI is used to automatically generate product descriptions, accelerating the process of bringing new products online.

With its commitment to innovation and customer-centricity, M&S demonstrates a clear vision for the future of retail, blending technology with human expertise to create a personalized and engaging shopping experience.