October

Amazon turns to AI to help customers find clothes that fit when shopping online

By avi maxwel / in amazon, clothes, customers, Find, fit, online, shopping, turns /

After recently turning to generative AI to enhance its product reviews, e-commerce giant Amazon today shared how it’s now using AI technology to help customers shop for apparel online. The company explains it’s now using large language models, generative AI and machine learning to power four AI-powered features that will help customers find clothing that fits — an ongoing challenge when shopping online and the leading cause for apparel returns.

According to a study by Coresight Research, the average return rate for clothing ordered online is 24.4%, which is eight percentage points higher than the overall online return rate. In addition, retailers and brands said online returns had grown over the past two years. Often, that’s in part because today’s consumers will buy an item in multiple sizes or colors and then return those that don’t work out, as the process of home try-ons and shipping items back has become easier.

To address this challenge, Amazon has introduced AI into the online shopping experience in four ways: in personalized size recommendations, a “Fit Insights” tool for sellers, AI-powered highlights from fit reviews left by other customers and reimagined size charts.

With the personalized size recommendations, Amazon Fashion used AI

September

Record online deals on toys, electronics and clothes coming this holiday season

By avi maxwel / in clothes, coming, deals, electronics, holiday, online, record, season, toys /

By Matt Egan, CNN Business

NEW YORK – Online shoppers will be offered record-setting discounts this holiday season as retailers attempt to entice inflation-weary consumers to buy, according to projections released Thursday by Adobe Analytics. And the company predicts the strategy will work, with online holiday sales climbing almost 5% above last year.

Retailers are poised to offer up to 35% off listed prices this holiday season, with the deepest discounts applied to toys, electronics and apparel, Adobe said in its annual holiday forecast.

The company expects consumers to seize on these deals, and spend aggressively even as concerns about rising costs and the health of the economy continue to linger.

Consumers will likely spend $221.8 billion via online shopping between November 1 and the end of the year, according to Adobe. That would represent solid growth of 4.8% year-over-year, an acceleration of the 3.5% growth in 2022.

So what will people be buying? Adobe says the hottest sellers this season will include LEGO Minifigures, Kanoodle 3D, Barbie the Movie products, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Madden NFL 24, iPhone 15 models and Birkenstock Bostons.

Where are the deepest discounts

Discounts for toys are seen peaking at 35% off listed

September

Imaginuity® Introduces Cindy, a Virtual Shopping Bestie Driving Online and Foot Traffic for JLL Retail Shopping Centers

By avi maxwel / in Bestie, Centers, Cindy, Driving, Foot, Imaginuity, Introduces, JLL, online, retail, shopping, Traffic, Virtual /

Cindy was brought to market through a strategic, multi-platform social campaign. One month post launch, year-over-year online website sessions across participating shopping centers has increased by 500 percent, new site users by more than 1000 percent and page views by nearly 500 percent. (Photo: Business Wire)

DALLAS, April 15, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Imaginuity has successfully developed and launched a virtual shopper named Cindy for JLL Retail Property Management at 13 shopping centers across the country. Created to be a consistent and replicable virtual spokesperson online, Cindy embodies multi-ethnic characteristics designed to resonate across geographically dispersed shopping centers. As an industry first, she is an extension of Imaginuity’s Pylot® platform that creates beautiful, human-centered website experiences. Cindy’s unique personality and presence helps make every shopping center’s website a go-to resource for fashion and trend information.

The Dallas agency’s AI Lab developed Cindy in partnership with The Dealey Group, lead brand agency for many of JLL’s managed shopping center properties. The Dealey Group took the lead on creative and content around the vision of making Cindy a “virtual shopping bestie” while Imaginuity brought her to life with a complex mix of generative AI tools driven by a proprietary recipe of

September

The Best New Season Fashion Brands And Buys Of 2023

By avi maxwel / in brands, Buys, fashion, season /

It’s time to start looking ahead to autumn, which means packing away summer essentials like swimwear and sandals and digging out – or purchasing – pieces that’ll last throughout the new season. Nothing looks as polished as a well-tailored suit, and this chocolate brown style from Cos, comprised of wide-leg pleated trousers and a double-breasted blazer, is the perfect example. (Add Miu Miu’s patent penny loafers for peak smart appeal.) If you’re looking to invest in vintage, visit the pre-loved bag offering that has just dropped at Matches, launched in partnership with the resale specialist, Sellier, and features hero styles from Chanel and Hermès.

Cos Double-Breasted Wool Blazer

Cos Wide-Leg Pleated Wool Trousers

Vintage Hermès Kelly 32 Bag

Speaking of autumn investments – The Row’s signature Margaux bag is back in stock (and flying out of the warehouse!) at Net-a-Porter. The brand’s minimalist tote is a bestseller, beloved for its timeless silhouette. Knitwear, too, is another important investment for autumn: we’ve got our eye on Vince’s cornflower-blue turtleneck, which pairs well with Acne Studios’s floor-sweeping denim maxi skirt and Gianvito Rossi’s eyelet-adorned ballet flats.

Vince Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater

Acne Studios Organic Denim Maxi Skirt

Gianvito Rossi Mary Jane Ballet

Protecting Your Eyes in Style: The Benefits of Investing in Designer Sunglasses

By Eliza Stuart /

For most, sunglasses serve the simple purpose of shielding eyes from harsh glare while outdoors. However, according to the good folk over at Olympic Eyewear, a distributor of wholesale sunglasses, for the fashion-conscious consumer, sunglasses represent an essential accessory for making stylish statements too. Designer sunglasses, in particular, offer the ultimate fusion of premium eye protection and covetable couture appeal.

Unrivaled Glare and UV Protection

While cheap sunglasses rely on basic darkened lenses, designer sunglass lenses incorporate advanced light management technologies optimized by leading optics experts. Their multi-layer lens coatings selectively filter harsh visible light wavelengths to eliminate glare without dimming your overall vision.

Premium polarized and mirrored lens tints drastically reduce blinding light reflected off surfaces like water, snow, and pavement too. Generic sunglasses cannot compare to the pinpoint visual clarity and contrast enhancement delivered by these designer lens enhancements.

More crucially, designer sunglasses provide vastly better ultraviolet protection to preserve long-term eye health. Their lenses include ultraviolet blockers able to filter out 100% of UV-A and UV-B radiation rather than letting damaging shortwave rays reach your retinas.

This level of UV shielding minimizes risks of developing cataracts, macular degeneration and other eye diseases accelerated by ultraviolet … Read more