JD Sports reveals plans to enable shoppers to buy products through AI platforms
The sportswear giant’s tech boss told the Press Association it believes AI is ‘the future of how people will shop’.
JD Sports has revealed plans to allow customers to directly buy their products through AI platforms without leaving the apps.
It is the latest move by a major retailer to adapt to a shift by consumers towards using AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Copilot.
The sportswear giant’s tech boss told the Press Association that it believes AI is “the future of how people will shop” and JD plans to be at the forefront of the technology.
JD Sports said it is partnering with Commercetools and payment firm Stripe to allow “one-click purchases” through AI platforms.
It said it will launch the technology in the US in the coming months.
The group hopes to expand this in other regions but will adapt to the regulatory environments in different countries as policymakers adapt to AI.
Jetan Chowk, JD’s chief technology and transformation officer, said: “We think AI is the future of how people will shop, and we want to stay at the forefront of how they shop.
“What we are currently seeing is that customers are regularly using AI apps to research and discover the products they want to buy.
“We can see that already and want to ensure we are moving early to meet customers and their needs in that space.”
Mr Chowk said they have seen AI usage particularly boom among the retailer’s core demographic of shoppers aged between 18 and 24.
The launch will start by linking up with Microsoft Copilot before extending this to other leading large language models (LLMs).
US customers will be able to find and buy JD Sports products using the AI platforms for the entire shopping process, including integrated payments.
Regis Schultz, group chief executive of JD Sports Fashion, said: “This strengthens our digital proposition for customers, and keeps us moving in line with the fast-changing retail landscape.
“We see AI as a real opportunity to improve our customers’ experience with JD, as well as making our own operations more efficient, and so I’m really pleased that with this big step forward we are putting our words into action.”
