Google has announced a significant update for its experimental AI try-on app, Doppl: the introduction of a shoppable discovery feed. This new feature aims to revolutionize online fashion shopping by allowing users to virtually try on AI-generated outfits and discover new items through personalized recommendations, complete with direct links to merchants.
The tech giant states the feed's primary goal is to provide recommendations, enabling users to explore and virtually try on various fashion items. Nearly every product showcased within the feed is shoppable, offering seamless navigation to merchant websites.
At the heart of the discovery feed are AI-generated videos featuring real products. Doppl leverages artificial intelligence to suggest outfits tailored to a user's individual style, which Google determines by analyzing shared preferences and interaction history within the app.
This strategic move by Google comes amidst the rising popularity of short-form video feeds, particularly those on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which have accustomed consumers to scrolling visual content and making impulse purchases. However, unlike these social media platforms where real influencers showcase products, Doppl's new feed exclusively features AI-generated content.
While an entirely AI-generated feed might initially seem unconventional to some, Google likely views it as an effective method to present products in a format users are already familiar with. Furthermore, this initiative represents a logical step for the company to explore new e-commerce strategies, especially as it faces increasing competition from established players like Amazon and various social media platforms in the online retail space.
It's important to note that AI-generated videos are not entirely new to the Doppl experience. The app already creates static images of a virtual version of the user wearing different outfits, and it can convert these images into dynamic AI-generated videos. This functionality is designed to provide users with a more realistic sense of how an outfit would appear in real-life scenarios.
The new shoppable discovery feed is currently rolling out to Doppl users aged 18 and above in the U.S., available on both iOS and Android platforms.
The concept of a feed composed solely of AI-generated content, which might have seemed futuristic just a year ago, is rapidly gaining traction. For instance, OpenAI launched Sora in September, a social media platform dedicated exclusively to AI videos. Similarly, Meta's AI app includes a short-form video feed of AI-generated content known as “Vibes” in the Meta AI app.
