Shopify's e-commerce platform is introducing more AI tools, and these new tools will be used in conjunction with the already existing product description text generator and AI chatbot.
The Shopify Magic AI suite of tools, which went live last April, has added a new media editor this year, one that enables auto-generated fills for images, as well as conversational searches via AI. Merchants can use this editor to easily change the background of their photos to match the image to their theme, and no Photoshop experience is required.
Shopify's AI editor has another feature that will allow it to advise merchants on backgrounds and styles that match the product images they already have in their gallery when it goes live this spring.
Glen Coates, Shopify's vice president of product, said that many merchants using the platform aren't in a position to use a large photo booth or hire a professional photographer, but they still need to set their products up for success. This tool meets that need at no extra cost. "We know that not everyone is in a position to use a professional photo booth or model, so we want to lower the bar for entrepreneurs to showcase their products," Coates said in an interview with The Verge." We're not forcing anyone to use this feature, just providing an extra helping hand."
Last spring, Shopify added generative AI tools such as automated product description generation, chatbot integration, and the ability to recommend responses for merchant and buyer chats.
While Shopify also serves big brands - such as Kim Kardashian's Skims - the majority of its users are small independent merchants and direct client-based businesses.Shopify's tools are now competing with the AI capabilities of other online shopping platforms. Amazon, for example, is testing a feature that allows shoppers to ask specific product-related questions, and has already launched AI tools that can summarize product reviews and recommend clothing sizes.
The new search feature doesn't rely on traditional Boolean searches or keyword matches, such as "spring wedding guest dresses," Coates said, adding that people prefer to do searches that are closer to everyday conversations, such as "I need a dress for a spring wedding. Now, Shopify's semantic search can read the intent behind the search and return more relevant results.
Coates said Shopify's suite of AI tools is built by using a mix of AI base models, and according to Shopify, they have watermarking and management tools built into the tools. "We used models like GPT and Llama 2, for example, to determine which models were best suited for the features we were building," he added.
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