To boost “operational excellence” using artificial intelligence (AI), online fashion retailer Asos and technology giant Microsoft have signed a new three-year partnership agreement.
As a pioneer in technology, ASOS is already utilizing AI capabilities incorporated into Microsoft products. This involves using Power Automate for process automation as well as Team Premium for live translation and automatic meeting notes, actions, and summaries.
Since early 2023, ASOS has been utilizing Microsoft Copilot, which comprises Copilot for Github and Copilot for Microsoft 365, to assist its engineering teams in producing code quickly and effectively.
Victoria Arden, Director of Technology Operations at Asos, said, “A core part of our business strategy is driving operational excellence within Asos: making sure we’re as fast, efficient, and effective as we can be, and investing our time and resources in the projects that matter.
“Under this new agreement, we’re helping Asos users safely experiment with generative AI tools that can remove ‘busy work’ from their day, freeing them up to unlock greater creativity and insights and focus on delighting our customers.”
It represents the most recent development in ASOS and Microsoft’s ongoing partnership, which has already included deploying AI services. ASOS reaffirmed its five-year commitment to stick with Microsoft Azure as its go-to cloud platform in 2022.
It powers its digital platforms with Microsoft Azure and leverages AI to support its emphasis on speed, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.
Earlier this year, ASOS launched customer testing for its AI Stylist: an Azure OpenAI-powered experience that helps customers discover new looks through an easy-to-use, conversational interface, built using early access to Microsoft’s generative AI tools, that authentically reflects the ASOS brand and tone of voice.
Papinder Dosanjh, Director of AI and Machine Learning, ASOS, said, “AI and Machine Learning are already transforming how we work at ASOS, whether it’s supporting better demand forecasting, helping with data-driven decision-making, or powering our recommendation system – delivering billions of product recommendations to our customers per day. Working with Microsoft, we continue to drive innovation in this area, always aligned to our principles of safe and responsible experimentation and development.”
Notably, ASOS has been an early adopter of AI and is using it in many innovative ways, such as delivering personalized shopping experiences through AI fashion stylists. This renewed commitment will bring huge productivity gains, freeing up time so that ASOS employees can focus on new, data-driven ways to better serve customers.
