The maker of $1,370 canvas duffle bags and $575 monogram
belts has launched a “virtual adviser” on Facebook Messenger for US clients,
Palo Alto, California-based AI startup Mode.ai said in a statement Wednesday. The
chatbot will answer queries for all things Louis Vuitton: searching the brand’s
online catalog, pulling up catwalk shows and history about the brand, and
giving tips for product maintenance.
The move comes as owner LVMH, whose products also include Christian Dior
perfumes and Dom Perignon Champagne, accelerates its efforts to bring its
luxury goods empire into the digital age. This year the company launched
multibrand e-commerce sites for both its fashion and beverage divisions, while
Louis Vuitton rolled out its first e-commerce site in China. The brand also
introduced its first smartwatch, the $2,450 Tambour Horizon.
“Our clients like to be connected to the Louis Vuitton universe wherever
they are,” the leather good brand’s chief executive officer, Michael Burke,
said in the statement.
It has long been common practice for retailers to bring in extra staff to
make the most of the holiday rush. In recent years, high end brands like trench
coat maker Burberry Group Plc, perfumer Estee Lauder Cos. and watchmaker
Richemont’s Jaeger-LeCoultre have also looked to boost their sales force by a
more elastic means — enhancing their social media presence with chatbots that
can talk to thousands of consumers at once.
Facebook Inc. has encouraged retailers to develop
chatbots as part of the company’s strategy of keeping users on its own site and
applications, not navigating away to seek services and information from other
companies.
“We are still in the very early stages of AI technology adoption in the retail
industry,” said Eitan Sharon, chief executive officer of Mode.ai, which
developed the bot for Vuitton. Sharon said he expects more companies to turn to
AI as clients demand a more personalised online shopping experience.
source: bof