Best Practices for Pivoting Omnichannel Strategies With Generative AI

By Lori Schafer

Retailers are gearing up for 2024, setting their budgets, campaigns and strategies for engaging omnichannel shoppers in the new year. But what happens if a new trend changes the way customers shop in stores or online halfway through the year? Or what if you have the opportunity to engage an audience that wasn’t prioritized in the 2024 plan?

No matter how prepared a retailer is for the year ahead, there will always be unexpected cultural and economic shifts that retailers need to adjust for. Fortunately, generative artificial intelligence enables retailers to make last-minute, game-changing adjustments to omnichannel customer touchpoints, including product detail pages and advertisements.

Maximizing the Impact of Product Detail Pages

For retailers, product descriptions are make or break. Shoppers must have up-to-date information that's thorough and helps them accurately visualize a product, sometimes even without a physical representation. Unfortunately, it can be challenging for retailers to have engaging product detail pages when their vendors oftentimes don't provide enough product data.

With AI, retailers can use image analysis to automatically validate and enrich product attributes. The technology can pull from disparate data sources, including PIM systems, customer reviews or spreadsheets, to ensure the product is clearly represented in one convenient location. This can accelerate speed-to-market for new products by automating the creation of product detail pages. AI can also take this data and build a compelling product narrative that excites consumers and reassures them that the product they receive matches their expectations.

In addition, AI supports quick pivots within the way products are described. It can analyze common language choices customers are using to describe the product in reviews and questions. For example, if multiple shoppers are describing the product online as “a great holiday gift for a child,” those terms can be automatically added to the product detail page to improve searchability. Popular language can change over time, so having an AI-generated solution that keeps product pages fresh and current can greatly enhance search engine optimization.

By improving product detail pages with AI, retailers can strengthen product discoverability. This leads to increased basket sizes and conversions, while reducing returns caused by products that didn’t meet shoppers’ expectations.

Elevating Advertisements in Seconds

Advertising is all about catching someone’s attention and AI is a fantastic tool for this initiative. The best advertisements tap into popular trends, seasonal excitement, and special events. Yet, it can be challenging for marketing teams to quickly pivot campaigns to capitalize on these unique, and often unexpected, moments.

Retail marketers can generate images and copy with AI that align with the pop culture or lifestyle preferences most applicable to their target audience. AI eliminates the need for costly photoshoots and lackluster stock images, freeing up the team’s time and resources for bigger picture campaign management.

Furthermore, marketers that use AI benefit from enhanced syndication opportunities. AI provides the ability to automatically update campaigns for regional differences like subtle language distinctions or cultural sensitivities.

Retailers can use AI to generate advertisements for a fraction of the cost without compromising their creativity. The tool allows them to focus on the impact of their advertisements, leading to a stronger return on investment like heightened sales and customer engagement.

Using AI to Bring the Shopping Experience to the Next Level

When used to its full potential, AI is an invaluable copilot for retailers as they navigate the everchanging retail environment. With AI on their team, retailers can work quicker than ever, saving time and money that can be invested into improving other areas of the customer experience. 2024 will be the year of AI — what are you waiting for?

Lori Schafer is CEO of Digital Wave Technology, a software solutions company that transforms retail and CPG business processes through AI, including generative AI, workflow and automation.