Waitrose invests in AI to improve online shopping offering

Waitrose has announced a partnership with Netcore Unbxd to integrate AI into its online shopping offering.

The new partnership will allow Waitrose to use AI to improve its online search and browsing experience, and develop personalised and tailored experiences for customers.

It will allow Waitrose to improve customer service based on past customer buying patterns and behaviours, including search and browsing habits, product favourites, and brand choice.

Waitrose will also be able to automate the search experience by providing relevant results for more complex searches.

For example if a customer searches for ‘drinks for teetotallers’ then the search results will display a range of alcohol-free drinks for the customer to browse through.

Laura Burbedge, director of online at Waitrose, said, “We know that our customers are busy and have lots of demands on their time – they need to be able to quickly and easily fill their online shopping trolley with minimal effort. Through working with Unbxd we have already seen a significant improvement in customers satisfaction with our search feature, with more personalised results.

“We look forward to being able to help customers with meal planning too – e.g. if they search for ‘what goes well with steak?’, we will be able to provide useful suggestions to help their shopping experience.”

Pavan Sondur, CEO at Netcore Unbxd, added: “When it comes to providing a seamless and personalised shopping experience, AI and machine learning play a pivotal role in understanding and meeting customer needs. We are thrilled to partner with Waitrose. With our Unbxd suite, Waitrose will be able to optimise their website, deliver relevant search results, and ensure meaningful shopper interactions.”