SM lacing up boots to harness power of AI

The SM Group is preparing to take its retail empire to the next level, with the company that started from a shoe store in Manila over six decades ago lacing up its boots to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to elevate further the customer shopping experience.

- RICHMOND MERCURIO

SM Prime executive committee chairman Hans Sy apparently is a big fan of AI, and he is keen on making the most out of the technology to take SM to a whole new level.

“With the use of technology like AI, it will really help us enhance how to improve the services to our customers. That is what everybody would be looking for. I mean, the feel good (factor) of a person should be the target of every retailer,” Sy said in an interview.

“So how do you make them feel good? You have to really understand the customers. And the best way I saw with AI is understanding the customer. Wouldn’t you feel good if in the future you enter a mall, they would immediately even identify you like, ‘oh good morning ma’am,’ and then, ‘would you like to know that we have this sale on this tenant or that,’ because we know already what the customer really wants,” he said.

Sy continued: “So you’d be surprised, the next few years that’s really going to come out. It’s really knowing your customer already when they come in, being able to address the needs that they want to. You’d feel good, feeling very important. Once you feel good, it will make people come back.”