Dunelm has launched ‘Ask Dunelm’, a new AI-powered shopping assistant designed to help customers discover products, styles and inspiration "through natural conversation".
Now live within the Dunelm app on iOS, ‘Ask Dunelm’ enables customers to describe what they are looking for in their own words, ask questions about products, visualise products in their homes, and receive tailored recommendations.
Dunelm is one of the first retailers in the UK to launch the new-generation multi-modal shopping agent utilising Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience product suite.
‘Ask Dunelm’ builds on the company’s existing use of AI across its digital channels and forms part of a broader programme of omnichannel development, designed to create a more seamless, personalised and inspirational shopping experience for customers.
Whether customers are furnishing an entire room, searching for a specific product or simply looking for inspiration, ‘Ask Dunelm’ offers a more intuitive way to navigate Dunelm’s extensive homewares offer, says the retailer, helping customers discover products and solutions suited to their individual style, budget and needs.
The launch is the latest step in Dunelm’s digital evolution following the introduction of its new customer app earlier this year. Now downloaded by over 500,000 customers, the app has already become an important part of the retailer’s omnichannel proposition, offering features including personalised recommendations, Click & Collect integration, product information and in-store functionality. ‘Ask Dunelm’ represents the first of several new enhancements planned for the platform.
John Gahagan, chief technology and information officer at Dunelm, comments: "At Dunelm, we're always looking for new ways to make shopping for the home easier, more inspiring and more personalised. ‘Ask Dunelm’ represents a significant step up in how customers can discover our products, allowing them to shop through natural conversation rather than traditional search methods.
"Customers increasingly expect digital experiences that are intuitive and tailored to their needs. By combining our deep understanding of home and customer preferences with Google Cloud's industry-leading AI capabilities, we've created a tool that can help customers navigate choices, find inspiration and confidently create homes they love.
"This is an exciting milestone, but it's only the beginning. As we continue to develop our app and broader omnichannel experience, we'll keep introducing new features that bring together the best of digital innovation and our specialist homewares expertise."
Andrea Williamson, director - retail, consumer and travel, UKI, at Google Cloud, adds: “Retail is entering a new era of conversational commerce. Dunelm’s 'Ask Dunelm' agent is a brilliant example of how Google Cloud can help retailers turn customer inspiration into reality. As the Dunelm team bridges the gap between digital browsing and expert advice, we look forward to supporting their continued digital evolution.”
