Target has rolled out a suite of AI-powered shopping features spanning visual search, review summaries, reordering and personalized browsing, detailing the technology push just a day before its Shipt subsidiary launched a conversational shopping assistant of its own.
The Minneapolis-based retailer’s approach differs from the chat-first assistants debuting elsewhere: rather than one conversational tool, Target has embedded AI into distinct points of the shopping journey, from finding a product to deciding on it to buying it again.
“Guests move naturally between our stores and digital channels, and we’re using AI and personalization in purposeful ways to help them find what they need faster, discover new possibilities and shop with confidence,” said Sarah Travis, EVP and chief digital and revenue officer.
“These enhancements reduce friction while also showcasing the style, design and differentiated assortment that make Target special,” she added.
The features
Photo Search, launched in August and built into the Target app, lets guests tap the photo icon in the search bar and upload or take a photo, a lamp spotted in a friend’s home, for example, to find similar products at Target without describing them in words.
Review Insights, launched in June, uses AI to organize customer review feedback into themes, letting a guest shopping for a cordless vacuum quickly see what reviewers say about suction power, durability, weight and ease of use. Target said early results show the feature is helping drive conversion and add-to-cart activity.
Continue Shopping, launched last fall, reconnects guests with recently viewed products while surfacing alternatives and offers on the homepage, My Target and search.
Buy Again, available through the app’s main navigation since last year, uses AI-driven personalization to surface frequently purchased items and relevant deals, letting a guest pull up a recent grocery order and re-add staples like milk, bread and paper products in a few taps. Target said the feature has driven strong year-over-year purchase growth, including in food and beverage.
Target operates nearly 2,000 stores.