Zalando to launch Gift Finder Assistant app with Google

German online retailer Zalando has teamed up with Google to launch a gift guide assistant chatbot on Google Assistant. The move, which sees Zalando working together with the Google team in Germany, sees Zalando becoming one of the first retailers to use the new conversational platform.

The new service lets users find the perfect gift for someone through a conversation with a chatbot. "People are spending more and more time on social apps, and as a customer-centric company we have to be where the consumer is, to innovate in order to tackle emerging and foreseeable customer needs and pain-points," says Nicolas Borg, VP Strategy at Zalando. "The collaboration with Google allows us to move another step ahead in the area of Conversational Commerce, and to further explore a field that is going to be enormously relevant for the future of online shopping.

The Zalando Gift Finder has been designed to offer customers a fun and personalised experience and be accessed by all users of Google Assistant once they ask for help to find the perfect present. The chatbot asks the shopper a number of questions in order to find the right fashion gift. Afterwards, shoppers are able to learn more about the said product and purchase it through Zalando's Distributed Commerce solution.

"This collaboration shows the added value of Actions on Google for our users," adds Malte Will, Product Partnerships Manager at Google. "Users with specific needs - in this case, fashion needs - can now benefit from services which are designed by industry experts, without the hassle of leaving the Assistant or installing extra apps." The Zalando Gift Finder is set to launch in Germany for all Google Assistant users on Android and iOS in late October.

The Zalando Geschenkefinder (Gift Finder) will be available in Germany for all users of the Google Assistant on Android and iOS in late October.

Photo: Courtesy of Zalando