While one may think that the breadth of online shopping options would mean that everyone is equally represented, those with experience trying to find an item online know that isn’t really the case. In fact, Lilian Rincon, Senior Director of Product Management at Google Shopping, claims that 50% of people don’t feel represented when shopping online.

She said this statistic as part of a panel at Austin’s SXSW festival. Alongside Danielle Schmelkin, Chief Information Officer at J.Crew Group, Rincon said that companies like Google are trying to change the shopping experience using Artificial Intelligence. Doing this, she says, can help answer concerns of shoppers and promote inclusivity.

For example, Rincon says that companies like Google are creating features that allow shoppers to better understand the products being offered, especially in the area of fashion. To that end, Google recently debuted a generative AI-powered virtual try-on feature that allows customers to see items on a variety of body types.

“We take one image from a merchant… A user chooses a model, and we can actually superimpose what that product would look like on the real model,” summarizes Rincon. “We’re thinking a lot about personalization (and) tailoring the experience.”

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