UK homewares retailer Dunelm is hailing the implementation of a new generative AI tool in improving customers’ digital experience and making it much easier to discover and engage with Dunelm products online.
By switching from a first-generation search engine to Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Search for Retail platform, Dunelm insists it can now provide a seamless and increasingly personalised shopping journey for its customers.
Devised by Kin + Carta (which was recently acquired by Valtech), early testing of the new platform has yielded some notable improvements to key metrics, including a significant reduction in search friction, with less than 1% of search terms returning zero results.
These enhancements has led to a more intuitive and efficient shopping experience, allowing customers to quickly discover the perfect products for their homes, across multiple homeware and furniture categories, the retailer insists.
Dunelm chief technology and information officer John Gahagan said: “A key part of our strategy is to improve the ways we connect products to our customers. Partnering with Google Cloud brings innovative GenAI solutions to our online search capabilities, making it much easier for customers to find the products they want. This is an exciting step forward in providing a best-in-class online shopping experience.
“By leveraging the power of AI, we’re making it easier than ever for our customers to find inspiration, supporting our growth potential as ‘The Home of Homes.’”
Google Cloud EMEA president Tara Brady added: “Website search abandonment costs retailers millions of pounds annually, as consumers are unable to find the specific products they need. We’re proud to collaborate on this important project to use GenAI to improve consumer experiences and shape the future of retail.”
Dulem’s latest activity builds on its Home of Homes brand platform to showcase the retailer’s extensive offering under the strapline of ‘Easing Into Autumn’.
Devised by Moden Citizens (formerly Creature London), the work is designed to resonate with consumers as they prepare to transition into autumn and spend more time in our homes. It is backed once again by a remix of the Grease song You’re The One That I Want.
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