Intimate clothing retailer Victoria’s Secret is using artificial intelligence (AI) from Google Cloud to enhance online shopping experiences and accelerate core business operations.

The multi-year partnership will see Victoria’s Secret leverage Google Cloud’s AI and generative AI technologies to create more personalised and inclusive online shopping experiences for its global customers. The retailer will also leverage Google Cloud’s AI technologies to improve customer and associate experiences and drive operational efficiencies within the business.

With Victoria’s Secret’s web site now driving more than 500 million annual visits and growing, a priority for the company is to leverage technologies to create personalised customer experiences at scale. Under the partnership, the brand will explore a generative AI-powered conversational assistant, created with Google Cloud’s AI platform, Vertex AI (cloud.google.com/vertex-ai). The goal of the conversational chatbot is to provide shoppers with tailored product recommendations and helpful advice based on personal preferences and experiences, whether a customer is a sports enthusiast, nursing mother, breast cancer survivor recovering from a mastectomy, or simply ready for a new bra.

In December 2022, Victoria’s Secret purchased Adore Me (www.adoreme.com), a direct-to-consumer lingerie company, with the goal of leveraging Adore Me’s technology and expertise to continue to improve the Victoria’s Secret and Pink customer shopping experience and accelerate the modernisation of its digital platform. Adore Me had already been using Vertex AI and Duet AI for Google Workspace for generative AI efforts, and this new partnership creates more synergy across the brands and allows Victoria’s Secret to integrate more easily large language models created and used by Adore Me.

“The integration of Google Cloud’s AI and generative AI technologies will not only improve the online shopping experience for our customers, but also will empower our internal teams to drive innovation across various business functions,” said Chris Rupp, chief customer officer at Victoria’s Secret. “This partnership signifies a new era for Victoria’s Secret, where cutting-edge technology meets our passion for enhancing the customer journey and reinforcing our position as a leader in retail.”

Victoria’s Secret is exploring ways to integrate Google Cloud’s AI technologies to elevate its internal operations. The brand’s vision includes leveraging these technologies in marketing and analysing customer sentiment. Google’s AI capabilities could also be used for supply chain optimisation to forecast product demand and ensure timely inventory management, as well as support store operations through conversational and personalised staff onboarding and training programmes.

“We are strategically implementing AI to help us better use data to benefit our customers and enhance internal processes,” said Murali Sundararajan, chief information officer at Victoria’s Secret. “We’re excited about the potential use cases including international expansion planning to marketing development and supply chain optimisation. These initiatives could not only streamline our operations but also enable us to better meet the needs of our customers and associates.”

Victoria’s Secret will also aim to enhance its web site and mobile app by implementing Vertex AI Search for retail technology. This integration can boost the retailer’s ability to provide Google-quality search and recommendations capabilities, helping shoppers search, find and discover relevant products more quickly and easily.

“Victoria’s Secret’s use of AI and generative AI to fuel its strategic growth plan illustrates how retailers can practically use these new technologies to deliver the full potential of their brands,” said Carrie Tharp, vice president at Google Cloud (cloud.google.com). “From building tailored experiences that resonate with shoppers, to transforming how new products are developed and delivered, Victoria’s Secret is at the forefront of retail innovation.”

These technology initiatives build on Victoria’s Secret’s recently introduced, AI-powered product search feature that uses Google Cloud’s Vision API product search technology to help users to find a specific product by simply dropping an image into the web site’s search bar. For example, a shopper can upload a photo of a bra from an earlier product line and immediately get recommendations for current bras with a similar fit and style.

Victoria’s Secret (www.victoriassecretandco.com) is a specialty retailer of modern, fashion-inspired collections including signature bras, panties, lingerie, casual sleepwear, athleisure and swim, as well as fragrances and body care. It has 30,000 employees across a footprint of more than 1350 stores in 70 countries.