John Lewis has said it will turbocharge its approach to AI and social shopping as it aims to become one of the first UK retailers to “fully embrace the new era of retail”.
The retailer said it will be one of the first retailers in the UK to fully adopt and integrate the technology following a “significant investment” in AI-powered shopping.
Starting later this year, the investment will see John Lewis products served to shoppers using AI platforms such as Google Gemini and ChatGPT for inspiration, and allow them to purchase items within the platforms when the technology becomes available.
John Lewis said the early investment would kick start the integration needed to offer AI-powered shopping as part of the next phase of its £800m transformation programme, and is in partnership with AI-first digital commerce programme Commercetools.
A spokeswoman said the functionality will put John Lewis “at the forefront of the new retail revolution, meeting customers in the apps they are already using”.
John Lewis chief digital and omnichannel officer Dom McBrien said: “Our customers are already using AI apps and discovery platforms to find products they love.
“These investments will mean that we are right there when customers are looking for ideas − and being able to quickly and easily buy in a few clicks is a gamechanger. We look forward to rolling out these functionalities and welcoming them into our omnichannel mix alongside our own app, website and physical stores.”
The retailer is also investing in social commerce. John Lewis will launch on TikTok Shop today (March 9) as part of a 90-day pilot ahead of Mother’s Day, offering instant purchase on a curated selection of beauty and gifting items.
TikTok Shop head of key accounts Broghan Smith said John Lewis was “exactly the kind of quality brand our community loves to discover”.
“We’re excited to see how they’ll succeed with discovery commerce on TikTok Shop, bringing their trusted products to life in new and engaging ways for our users,” he said.
Later this month, John Lewis will also expand its partnership with Uber Eats, broadening the catchment to customers near its Stratford, Kingston, Cambridge and Liverpool stores. The retailer offers a selection of 3,000 products for delivery within 45 minutes across home, beauty and tech.
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