Microsoft Launches AI Stylist Tool for Ralph Lauren

Microsoft and Ralph Lauren collaborate to launch an AI stylist tool that customizes fashion recommendations and redefines the online shopping experience.

With product discovery increasingly driven by AI tools, brands are exploring new approaches to enhancing those shopping experiences. Ralph Lauren capitalizes on this trend with its latest AI initiative, a Microsoft-powered tool using AI to help match products to your ensemble.

Introducing ‘Ask Ralph’

Ask Ralph is a digital shopping assistant powered by Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI, available inside the Ralph Lauren app in the U.S.

Microsoft explains:

“Ask Ralph is a conversational AI shopping experience built on Azure OpenAI, and available in the Ralph Lauren app in the U.S. You can interact with Ask Ralph just like you would a stylist in a Ralph Lauren store by asking simple, conversational questions or using prompts to find the perfect look for any occasion.”

If someone wants to know what goes well with a beloved pair of shoes or matches the color of their shirt, they can ask users. The tool draws from top-selling items, shoppable outfits, and trends specific to each product type.

Personalization Versus Brand Styling

So, as much personalization as Ask Ralph delivers with its free-form queries, most of those suggestions are based on the Ralph Lauren catalog and winning combinations. This means users could find themselves festooned in timeless Ralph Lauren chic rather than a deeply personal sensibility.

However, the ability to receive such expert guidance remains in demand, with many shoppers seeking advice on how to look their best and feel confident.

While Microsoft does not disclose the exact inner workings of how products are matched, they do state that:

“Ask Ralph delivers tailored responses to a user’s prompts, curating outfits and looks from across the Polo Ralph Lauren brand, with all items suggested from available inventory.  Ask Ralph can also interpret tone, satisfaction, and intent to refine recommendations dynamically. It also adapts to contextual cues like location-based insights or event-driven needs.”

Instead, this implies a system that is fluid and combines not only product data but also user sentiment and context.

The Role of AI in Fashion Discovery

A fundamental point about the power of AI is its ability to cross-reference vast datasets to uncover correlations that exceed the capacity of human or traditional systems.

Translating natural language queries into complex searches enables more intelligent product recommendations, creating opportunities to:

• Present related products in response to requests
• Collect complete product sets for specific events or campaigns
• Discoverability by matching images or styles to inventory

Ask Ralph is an example of a brand utilizing AI to suggest alternatives, rather than pushing buyers away; instead, it takes advantage of upselling and improves the customer experience.

With the integration of conversational AI tools that effectively assist shoppers throughout the product selection and engagement process, a phased approach to growing sales is possible.

Final Thought

The Microsoft and Ralph Lauren collaboration demonstrates how AI-enabled styling solutions can transform the shopping experience, while relying on the brand to do the rest.