Zalando and Google have collaborated on a gift-finder assistant that asks users questions about the type of present they are looking for and suggests products.

The German etailer has launched its gift-finding chatbot on Google Assistant.

The online Goliath recently launched its Actions platform in Germany, which allows third-party businesses to build apps that will be bolstered by the AI capabilities of the Google Assistant.

Zalando has designed its app for this platform, which is currently only available for customers based in Germany, in time for the golden quarter.

Users who ask Google Assistant for help finding a gift will be asked a series of questions such as whom they are looking to purchase a present for, before being presented with a series of items available to purchase via Zalando.

Shoppers who are interested in buying recommended items can click through to buy them on the German retailer’s website.

Zalando’s vice-president of strategy Nicolas Borg said: “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.

“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.”

Google’s product partnerships manager Malte Will said: “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.”