John Lewis has revealed its ambition to be among the first UK retailers “to fully adopt and integrate” with AI-powered shopping.
The retailer’s products will be “served to customers looking for inspiration on AI platforms” such as Google Gemini and ChatGPT, from later this year.
The strategy is being backed with a “significant investment”, part of John Lewis’ broader £800m multi-year transformation programme. The retailer has extended its partnership with agentic commerce platform Commercetools as part of the effort.
“Our customers are already using AI apps and discovery platforms to find products they love,” said Dom McBrien, chief digital and omnichannel officer, John Lewis.
“These investments will mean that we are right there when customers are looking for ideas – and being able to quickly and easily buy in a few clicks is a game-changer. We look forward to rolling out these functionalities and welcoming them into our omnichannel mix alongside our own app, website, and physical stores,” he added.
Later this month, John Lewis will also launch on-demand shopping via Uber Eats. Customers within the delivery catchment areas around the retailer’s Stratford, Kingston, Cambridge and Liverpool stores will be able to order from a selection of 3,000 John Lewis products from across home, beauty and tech categories, with purchases being delivered to customers within 45 minutes.
This follows on an initial trial with Uber Eats last year with two stores.
Further, John Lewis has today launched on to TikTok Shop, with a 90-day pilot timed around Mother’s Day and focused on gifting. The TikTok Shop trial features a “curated edit” of beauty and gifting items, instantly shoppable through the platform. This includes a “final drop” of the now sold out John Lewis Mother’s Day Beauty Box, featuring products from famous brands including Jo Malone London, Augustinus Bader and Estée Lauder.
“Strategically, these investments put John Lewis in the places and spaces where customers look to for ideas and discovering products,” the retailer said. “As well as allowing them to buy instantaneously in one seamless customer experience, they will help attract new customers to John Lewis.”
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