Global Fashion Group Archives

Singapore – Online fashion and lifestyle retail company Zalora, a part of Global Fashion Group (GFG), is adopting generative AI technology with the launch of its proprietary platform-as-a-service integration (PaaS) of OpenAI, TITAN.

TITAN is used to drive new efficiencies in operations, improve online fashion customer experiences, and unlock growth opportunities for the company. It will also create more immersive and conversational online shopping experiences and data-driven recommendations for customers.

Among the areas being powered by TITAN is its smart search discovery to handle a wider array of spelling variations and errors and better identify, present, and sort customers’ results, reducing the chances of experiencing zero search results.

TITAN also powers their conversational shopping assistant, which includes smart prompts and improved real-time interactive features; their production automation to unlock automation across different functions and improve employee productivity gains; and their internal chatbots, which improve employee experience and productivity.

Gunjan Soni, Zalora CEO and Global Fashion Group COO, said, “With a history of innovations under our belt, we are excited to embrace the future with Generative AI and leverage it to deliver the best ‘tailored for fashion’ e-commerce experience for our customers both during and post-purchase.With TITAN we will once again be the first in the region to offer these innovations to our growing loyal base.”

Zalora’s drive to innovate is paired with the responsibility to safeguard the millions of customers it serves as well as their personal data. The company is committed to using AI and TITAN in a responsible way, having developed a series of principles to guide responsible innovation, and implementing several measures to protect customers’ data.

Meanwhile, Sumit Jain, Chief Technology Officer at Zalora, also shared, “ZALORA is excited to leverage the potential of OpenAI via TITAN, our AI platform, to reimagine eCommerce and create a truly ‘wow’ customer experience. The future of retail will be driven by technology innovation, and the extent to which we prioritise ensuring a safe and seamless experience for customers.”

“By building on OpenAI technology through our proprietary platform, TITAN, we intend to lead Fashion E-commerce innovation in maintaining a safe and seamless experience for customers and taking the online shopping experience to the next level,” he added.

Zalora’s introduction of TITAN, its proprietary integration of OpenAI technology into its platform, comes alongside a series of new tech advancements the company plans to roll out this year. This includes the development of their conversational shopping assistant and Warehouse Management System (WMS), both of which are still in the early phases of development.

TITAN will also serve as a gateway for ZALORA and its parent company, Global Fashion Group, to scale new heights in Southeast Asia and replicate this technology across the Group’s different regions, including Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Melbourne, Australia – Supply chain consultancy TM Insight is expanding its executive line by hiring three former e-commerce executives as part of TM Insight’s new e-commerce and digital team.

The executives are namely Nicole Scherholz Cipolla (middle of the banner picture) from the Global Fashion Group, Jan Becker (left of the banner picture) from e-retailer Zalora, and Mitch Bittermann (right of the banner picture) from fashion brand Adidas.

Cipolla and Becker will join TM Insight as executive directors of e-commerce, based in Australia while Bittermann joins the company as the executive vice president of e-commerce for TM Insight Asia, based in Singapore.

Prior to their key positions at TM Insight, Cipolla had served as the group senior strategy director at Global Fashion Group and Zalora Philippines’ chief commercial officer, while Becker is a former director of brand marketing and consumer strategy at Zalora and also the vice president of marketing at Thai-based retail conglomerate Central Group Online. Meanwhile, Bittermann served as the director of e-commerce at Adidas Southeast Asia.

“Consumers expect a smooth, frictionless, and convenient digital experience, and if they don’t get it from a retailer they will switch to a competitor in a matter of seconds. I’m excited to bring to TM Insight my extensive experience in developing profitable e-commerce businesses and help our clients reimagine what success looks like in the digital age,” stated Cipolla.

Asked about his new executive position, Becker said, “Nicole, Mitch and I have built and scaled major e-commerce and omnichannel businesses across Europe and Southeast Asia. We understand best practice and now, as part of TM Insight, we can assist clients with their holistic strategy, commercial offering, digital merchandising and marketing, right through to their supply chain and fulfilment solutions.”

On the other hand, Bittermann stated, “Having e-commerce as a small subsection of your retail strategy doesn’t cut it anymore – retailers need to create a holistic e-commerce, retail, and supply chain strategy. Now with TM Insight’s new e-commerce and digital offering matched with the business’ existing supply chain expertise, we can provide a full end-to-end solution. This will be a gamechanger in the industry, which I’m incredibly excited to be a part of.”

The new executives will lead the company’s e-commerce and digital offering across the Asia-Pacific region, working with TM Insight’s broader supply chain and property consulting business to provide businesses a true end-to-end service offering in their retail and supply chain transformations.

Travis Erridge, CEO of TM Insight said, “Our clients have experienced incredible acceleration in e-commerce growth, with global online retail expected to reach up to US $10 trillion by 2023. With this growth, e-commerce is now a crucial component in a retailer’s business strategy that defines its supply chain and property solutions.”