Victoria's Secret & Co. revolutionizes online shopping experience via Google Cloud AI partnership

Victoria's Secret & Co. has penned a new strategic, multi-year partnership with Google Cloud to leverage the company's artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI technologies to enhance its online shopping experience.

Announced ahead of the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2024 event, the lingerie brand also aims to leverage Google Cloud technologies to improve customer and associate experiences globally while driving operational efficiencies within its business.

Victoria's Secret & Co. to leverage Google Cloud AI to enhance its online shopping experience

As its online channel continues to grow, attracting over 500 million annual visits each year, Victoria's Secret & Co. is investing in new innovations to drive personalized and custom shopping experiences at scale. Through the new partnership, Victoria's Secret is set to leverage a new generative AI-powered chatbot to offer customers personalized product recommendations and advice based on their personal preferences and lifestyles.

Through this new partnership, Victoria's Secret & Co is also seeking to create more synergy across its brands. The company plans to use Adore Me's knowledge and expertise to improve Victoria's Secret and Pink's customer shopping experience. Adore Me, acquired in December 2022, utilizes Google Cloud's Vertex AI and Duet AI for generative AI. This new partnership allows Victoria's Secret & Co. to adopt Adore Me's large language model technologies.

"The integration of Google Cloud's AI and generative AI technologies will not only improve the online shopping experience for our customers but also will empower our internal teams to drive innovation across various business functions," said Chris Rupp, chief customer officer at Victoria's Secret & Co in a statement. "This partnership signifies a new era for Victoria's Secret & Co., where cutting-edge technology meets our passion for enhancing the customer journey and reinforcing our position as a leader in retail."

In addition, Victoria's Secret & Co aims to enhance its operations by integrating Google Cloud's AI technologies. This includes using AI for marketing, customer sentiment analysis, supply chain optimization, and efficient inventory management. Additionally, the brand envisions the technology aiding and improving HR processes and store operations with personalized training and onboarding programs.

"We are strategically implementing AI to help us better use data to benefit our customers and enhance internal processes. We're excited about the potential use cases, including international expansion planning to marketing development and supply chain optimization," said Murali Sundararajan, chief information officer at Victoria's Secret & Co., in a statement. "These initiatives could not only streamline our operations but also enable us to better meet the needs of our customers and associates."

Victoria's Secret and Pink also aim to use Google Cloud's Vertex AI Search to improve search and recommendation functions on its website and mobile app, making product discovery faster and easier for customers. Carrie Tharp, vice president of strategic industries at Google Cloud, noted that this use of AI and generative AI demonstrates how retailers can effectively leverage new technologies for brand growth, offering personalized experiences and innovative product development and delivery. "Victoria's Secret & Co. is at the forefront of retail innovation," said Tharp in a statement.

The new initiatives build on Victoria's Secret & Co.'s recent introduction of an AI-powered image-based product search feature, a tool that utilizes Google Cloud's Vision API Product Search and allows customers to upload an image to find similar current products, enhancing customer experience and aligning with the company's focus on technological innovation.