The personal touch

To personalize product recommendations, Jetblack schedules a 10-minute phone call with new customers to determine their brand loyalties, allergies and frequently ordered items. Clients can then text product requests, questions and photos describing what they’re looking for and receive AI-curated product recommendations and refill reminders from their personal shopper.

Through its focus on customer service, Jetblack has found a competitive advantage over convenience-focused e-commerce retailers. “Many of the things that were innovative five years ago haven’t changed that much, like two-day shopping and one-click shopping,” Fleiss added. “The real opportunity for us is making shopping delightful again,” she told Inc. “Can you feel like you walk away with a better product, and having saved time?”

Other retailers are also using virtual assistants to provide on-the-go customer support. Target has created a beauty concierge service that provides in-store, online, and text guidance to help consumers choose products and get tips and recommendations. Launched in May 2018, the service was released to support Target’s Beauty Studio, which uses facial mapping technology to allow customers to virtually try on makeup before making a purchase.

Brands are also continuing the tradition of using personal shoppers in stores. In the UK, John Lewis hopes to “reinvent the department store” with its new Experience Desk, where customers can plan their day and sign up for in-store services and experiences from travel advice and eye tests to a pop-up barber shop and technology training workshops. The desk was trialed in October 2017 at the John Lewis Oxford store and has been expanded for the home floor of the new John Lewis retail space at White City Westfield to include a “bespoke personal fashion styling service,” a demo kitchen and a sleep studio.