Time for AI to Revolutionize Fashion
The revolution that the Artificial Intelligence is witnessing currently is hard to miss. Enabled by the trifecta of machine learning, big data analytics and computing becoming cheaper and more powerful by the time, Artificial Intelligence is definitely exhibiting the signs of making it large in the domain.
There lies a huge opportunity to be explored by the brands of today by venturing into AI. Solving the pressing issues of contemporary times AI introduces robust and reliable functionalities for the businesses to execute a wide gamut of tasks faster, cheaper and better. From healthcare, to transportation and mobility, to finance, AI is set to revolutionize the major industry verticals that we have come to know today. However, let us first begin with Fashion.
Fashion industry, especially fashion ecommerce, has for long been the low-hanging fruit for the Artificial Intelligence ventures. As a consequence, we are currently witnessing a huge confluence of AI-startups in the fashion domain, as part of industry wide associations. Here’s discussing the unique capabilities provided by AI in the fashion ecommerce and retail space:
Visual Search to Expedite Processes and Assist Online Shoppers
Visual search has been one of the disruptive and groundbreaking contributions by the AI in the domain of online fashion retail. Flipkart has already imbibed visual search in its search engine, offering unparalleled easy and convenience to its users. Via visual search, ecommerce platforms can allow shoppers to search for their preferred clothes, just by uploading its images.
Whether it is a screenshot of a particular dress, perhaps one seen on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram etc or an image taken while frequenting a shopping mall or an offline marketplace, the AI powered visual search engine reads the pixels of the image, and returns similar designs and patterns.
The technology has been viewed as the disruption in the fashion domain for the very fact of democratizing fashion search. Now, users from diverse backgrounds, not having the same level of articulation, can simply search for their preferred dresses via its images. Besides, it has never been any easy to describe an elaborate dress, shirt or any apparel in the words.
Curating Fashion Trends
Our everyday lives are increasingly becoming infiltrated with computing devices. These devices generate immense data, which may further be leveraged by the deep learning algorithm for futuristic analysis, including fashion trends and predictions.
Images being circulated on social media, especially on sites like Instagram and Pinterest, which are helmed as the leading visually riveting social networking sites, can also be considered in this exploration. The same analysis can further be used to curate the best of fashion on the front store of ecommerce sites.
Unlike human analysis, the deep learning algorithms only go on improving the efficiency and efficacy of its analysis, with more amounts of data available at its disposal.
AI in Fashion Designing
AI is more than smart algorithms or talking machines, as often showed in the sci-fi movies of the west. As of today, AI is not only processing huge volumes of data, but is also composing music, creating artwork, writing proses and poems. Hence, it is only a matter of time for AI is applied in designing clothes and apparels of today. In fact, Myntra is also concerting the launch of a line of apparels that are designed solely with the help of AI and data sciences.
Although the day still appears to be far-fetched where AI is going to replace the designers we have today, it would anyway emerge as one of their most potential tool, perhaps their best assistant. Once armed with AI, fashion stylists will be able to disrupt the status quo, with groundbreaking ideas, a stellar vision and the means adequate for manifesting the vision into a runway dress.
Managing Fashion Logistics
AI presents one of its biggest opportunities of application in managing the logistics for fashion stores and ecommerce. The AI algorithms can be utilized for realistic demand forecasts and aligning supply with the same. In fact, if used right, discounts, freebies and cash backs may soon become a thing of the past, since the system will reveal the exact quantity of the products that need to be ordered.
In essence, with the fan following and mass appeal, fashion ecommerce and retail have become hosts to immense opportunities for artificial intelligence. We are already witnessing a confluence of the two platforms, with fashion ecommerce sites and OEMs collaborating with AI startups. The time isn’t far when AI will enjoy an industry wide adoption for cutting costs, expediting processes and giving a rather intuitive and smart user experience.
